Dragon Sagas: Book Four Fully Revised
by TheDarkPrinceofSaiyans
Summary: The final book in the Dragon Sagas series. Caliwone, the League, and the X-Men have adverted catastrophie again but this time, victory is near impossible. Will Caliwone and the League be able to save Earth one last time or will this be the final fight..?
1. Chapter 01: Old Times

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

**Welcome everyone! It has been far too long!**

**Let's start the final Book with a bang. Remember, reviews are the only thing that we, writers on FanFiction, receive.**

******Prologue******

**1.5 years earlier**

Deep in space, a light blinked mournfully in the emptiness, the only indication that there was anything filling its void. Lights from distance stars from far reaching systems softly reflecting off of its steel gray hull and the words 'N.A.S.A.' only lightly visible. There were no drive trails to indicate propulsion as it slowly tumbled in space nor any appearance of life aboard the tiny craft as it drifted on an imminent collision course with this system's sun.

Through the tiny window onboard the small craft, a nightmarish figure sat, a slight green glow bathing it and throwing twisted shadows across it already terrifying face. Despite the terror in living flesh, the form did not move, did not stir even as a giant ship, darker than black, creped slowly up behind it. As the ships grew closer, a beam of the faintest blue light, drew the smaller craft to itself.

There was small chatter in a strange language as strange creatures stepped forward to the shuttle. With no aid from laser tools or cranks, the creatures tore open one side of the alien shuttle. More murmurs as the monster inside breathed in a deep breath, its eyes opening and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings and the unfamiliar life forms. None of that interested the demon as it stood. All it cared about was a man in a blue suit and red cape...

******Chapter 01: Old Times******

**1 year after the Noventa battle**

Caliwone slid backwards from the force of the kick as Helena tried to follow up with blast of energy. Deflecting this, he raced forward and swung a fist with enough force to kick dust up ten feet away. Helena side stepped and drove a knee into his gut.

Caliwone gritted his teeth as he tasted a coppery warmth in his mouth but forced himself to endure. Flipping over her leg, he swept, trying to take the girls feet out from under her but she agilely hopped over it, lifting both hands above her head to smash them down on Caliwone. She never had the chance. Quickly, Caliwone spun himself around and drove a kick upwards, catching her under the chin in his favoritetechnique.

She flipped backwards, landing with a stumble on the ground, then took flight, lifting her hand up and firing her signature move, the Noventa Cannon. Twenty feet out from her, the single streak of energy erupted into many, all bursting wide then converging onto Caliwone.

He set his teeth. Having seen this attack before, he knew how to beat it. Darting upward at nearly the last second, he flew right through the center of the attack unscathed as the rest of the energy exploded on the ground. Flipping forward quickly, he landed back on the ground and ducked as Helena's foot cleaved the air and several of his golden hairs where his head had been in two.

Red glowed in his right hand as Helena finished swinging her kick Caliwone planted his own special move into her stomach. With a red streak, Helena and Caliwone's Sphere of Destruction lifted into the sky before exploding violently, spiking the ground all around and sending dust and dirt everywhere.

Caliwone dropped to one knee, gasping for breath and spitting the blood in his mouth to the side even as more blood slid down the right side of his face. Helena would re-enter the battle soon and Caliwone didn't have much left to face her with. _Maybe I should have just challenged Kal-El to test my abilities,_ he thought tiredly as he could sense Helena's approach. _At least he would offer to let me walk away from this._

Through the still billowing smoke, Helena walked into view, her green and black outfit more than a little worse for wear but her golden hair and identical blaze seemed otherwise fine.

"You never cease to amaze me, Saiyan," she said. "Every time we fight, I seem less and less of a challenge for you, despite our significant gap in power when you do not ascend."

"Hn," Caliwone said, forcing himself to rise. "I am a fast learner."

"Hn," Helena said right back. "Yet you still can't beat me as you are. Ascend."

"I will not," Caliwone said. He hated that transformation, despite the overwhelming power it brought him. "When I do, I lose control. There is no point in victory if I am not the one fighting."

Helena smiled. "Then go learn to control it," she said, turning her back to him. "Come find me when you can."

Caliwone watched her take off into the sky with a slight surprise, though the surprise didn't last long. She had Saiyan blood, _his_ Saiyan blood, running through her veins, after all. The prospect of a strong adversary appealed greatly to her. Caliwone smirked to himself and took to the air himself to recover from his wounds.

Snow fell lightly around the grounds of the Xavier Institute but by this time it was no longer joyous. The first forts had all been made and destroyed, the first snowman, the first snowball fight.

Kitty Pryde laid her head on her arms as she watched the frozen flakes drift downward and sighed. Nearly none of the original X-Men stayed here anymore, all have gone out to try and live normal lives. Some had gone off to Magneto's island, Genosha, under the pretense of safety and security. One or two withdrawn to solitude, their thoughts and feeling stuck in the past and hard to forget.

A steaming mug of hot chocolate set itself down in front of Kitty, the smell doing a surprisingly good job of lifting her spirits along with the warm embrace of Piotr.

"What is wrong?" he asked in his thick Russian accent that she found so endearing. "Why do you seem so sad?"

"Look around, Piotr," Kitty said. "Not long ago, this mansion would be filled with screaming kids and stupid boys playing with mistletoe. Now look at it. You me, the Professor, Storm, Beast, and Xi'an. That's all that's left of the X-Men."

"Everyone must move on eventually," Colossus said. "At least there is one good sign of all this."

"Oh yeah?" Kitty asked tartly. "What's that?"

"There is no war to bring us all together."

Kitty thought about that, seeing this path of logic to be a rather twisted concept, true though it was. With another sigh, she leaned back into Colossus' arms. "Let's take a trip somewhere," she said at last. "Someplace new. Somewhere exciting."

In the far distance, the _very_ far distance, an alarm rang that notified police of a burglary in progress. No doubt the police and the heroes of the law enforcement could handle everything but there was always the chance of a drawn out firefight or the chance of someone getting hurt.

It had been a long time since the Man of Steel had floated in the sky like this, just low enough for sounds to travel through in the atmosphere and to his super hearing as he waited for trouble. Normally, the Watch Tower or Metro Tower would alert him or proper League members to handle such relatively minor threats but, judging from the direction and sounds associated, the trouble was in Metropolis.

Reaching both hands forward, Superman rocketed into the lower atmosphere. Faster than a speeding bullet, Superman raced into the air space above his city, slowing down just enough to keep from shattering glass from the tall buildings. Metropolis. It seemed like it had been forever since he'd been here. Of course he had, Clark Kent of the Daily Planet had a life and a job after all, but Superman had been busy with aliens and mutant affairs lately.

He smiled as children jumped up and down in excitement as he passed overhead, their mom's and dad' smiling and waving joyously, too. Even the police men and women smiled and waved as he landed lightly between them and the offended bank.

"Thank you for keeping them busy," Superman said with a smile. "What do you say I take it from here?"

"That's all you, Superman," one officer said. "Volcana and Livewire with some other crooks."

"Thanks for the heads up," Superman said and walked straight into the bank. Of course, with his super hearing and x-ray vision, he had already seen who the thieves were and had already picked up their chatter.

"Hey, pick up the pace, cupcakes," Livewire could be heard along with the sound of sparking electricity. "We ain't got all day."

"Who made you the ring leader here?" the unmistakable voice of Volcana said, sounding only slightly irritated.

"Hey, you gotta problem with it?" Livewire asked. "I'm more worried about the super-snot and his little justice dweeb friends."

"You do have a point," another voice said timidly.

"Shut up, Garfield," Volcana said. "Just focus on getting the vault open with that little toy of yours."

There was the sound of Firefly's trademarked flamethrower.

Superman shook his head. _Super-snot?_

He stepped through the final door. Two guards waited on either side if the doors, ready with fully automatic weapons. They barely managed a squeak of surprise as the Man of Steel reached over and lightly for him, tapped their heads together. They both dropped to the floor unconscious and Superman patiently folded his arms and cleared his throat. Firefly's flamethrower sputtered out quite suddenly as all the criminals jumped in surprise.

"Well look who it is," Livewire said, her eyes flicking over to the downed thugs. "Guess it really is hard to find good help these days, isn't it?"

"Never mind that," Volcana said, lifting her hands from her hips. Fire engulfed her hands and she hurled the fire at Superman. Superman didn't even bother to move as fire surrounded him and slowly dissipated. Smoke rose from the corner of his cape and around his shoulders that quickly put themselves out.

Volcana seemed to shrink slightly as Superman looked over at her. "Oh crap."

Livewire gave Volcana a disappointed glare before lifted her own hands and sending lightning lancing out toward Superman but he was gone.

"HELP!" Firefly called out from behind the girls.

Livewire turned to see Superman holding Firefly by the jet pack.

"Oooo," Livewire growled angrily. "Hey, red," she snapped to Volcana. "Get your feet out of the quicksand, will ya?"

Volcana seemed to pull herself together enough to lift her hands and blast Superman. Using him as a shield, Superman lifted Firefly into the fiery path, then threw him into Volcana. The two flew through the open doors and into the street where the police waited to arrest the two.

"You're such a spoil sport, you know that?" Livewire yelled before running out of the room and to the back emergency exit.

Superman followed just as Livewire made it outside. The police line that had circled the building all lifted weapons subtly as Livewire lifted a hand and fired electricity arcing upward. High above the building, the lighting struck a passing plane, lighting the engines instantly on fire.

"Catch ya later, babies," she said to Superman and the police as she transformed into pure electricity and arced up into a nearby power line.

Superman rocketed upwards, the lives of hundreds more of an immediate concern than one super criminal. He caught up to the falling plane and with one mighty blow, blew the fire out. Racing around to the front of the plane as some of the taller buildings in Metropolis began flashing past, he pushed forward and up, doing his best not to put more pressure on it than the steel could handle. Even so, the front end crumpled slowly under his strength as the huge weight pushed forward while the Man of Steel resisted.

People could be heard screaming on the streets now, the screech of tires and honking of horns, too. Superman gritted his teeth, coming to the conclusion that, without being near enough to the landing strip and still wanting to get on Livewire's trail, a highway landing seemed inevitable.

He guided the plane gently past a few more buildings then lined up the highway. The pilots on board seemed to understand the situation and promptly lowered the landing gear. With a gentle screech of rubber on asphalt, the plane came to a safe landing. He floated up to the cabin to see how everyone was and with thumbs ups and cheers, he took off back to the bank.

As he came in close, it quickly became apparent that his help was unnecessary. Livewire hung upside down by a rubberized cable wrapped around her with a cut down power line. Police were already taking steps to release her with proper equipment.

"What happened?" Superman asked as he came to a landing.

"No idea, really," one of the junior officers said. "We rounded the corner in pursuit and found her like this."

"I see," Superman said. He smiled slightly and glanced around. Hidden in one of the few shadows that seemed to lie around Metropolis, Superman could see the glow of white eyes that none of the officers seemed to notice.

Superman took to the skies with a wave of farewell, then circled the building to land in the darkened ally. "What ever happened to a normal calling card, Bruce?"

"That _is_ my normal calling card," Batman said.

"What brings you to Metropolis, then?" Superman asked his old friend.

"Your city seems to have a bad habit of driving their criminals over to Gotham," Batman said, his customary glare deepening slightly.

"I can't imagine why," Superman said. "If I were them, I would take my chances with me before ever crossing _your_ path."

"Just keep a better eye on your trash, Clark," Batman said, turning his back to Superman.

There was the sudden sound of an approaching rocket and the two heroes turned in time to see a rocket with a woman straddling it shoot past.

"What on Earth was that?" Superman asked.

"Roxy Sutton," Batman said evenly. "She goes by Roxy Rocket. Former Hollywood stunt double with a fetish for thrill seeking."

"I think I remember her," Superman said pointedly but with a smile.

"From my earlier days in the cape," Batman said.

"I seem to remember that she came to Metropolis once before when you and Batman went missing. I dressed up as you and Robin and I had to go save you from Brainiac," Superman said, smirking. "Still looks good for her age, then."

"I'm more surprised that she's still alive." Batman spread his arms and his glider wings sprang into place. "She has this thing for the ultimate thrill." Fire spat from his boots and he launched himself into the sky after her with Superman following behind.

"What's she doing in Metropolis?" Superman asked.

"Maybe she decided she would rather take her chances with you."

Superman grinned. "Big mistake."

The two heroes managed to catch up with the rocketeer, weaving crazily between buildings and through tunnels. Superman had just about had enough when Roxy slowed down to speed side by side with the heroes. "Well, looks like you finally got an upgrade, handsome," Roxy shouted over to Batman, winking at him through her goggles.

"Looks like you still haven't learned," Batman responded.

"It's all about the thrill, hun. You haven't really forgotten, have you?"

"No," Batman said.

"What are you after?" Superman asked, having used his x-ray vision to scan through the storage spots and found nothing in them.

"Some fun!" she shouted joyously and braked hard in mid air. Batman swerved instinctively, missing the building he had approached by inches. Superman crashed straight into it as Roxy shot straight up, paralleling the building all the way to the top.

Batman raced after her even as Superman jumped back into the air. "I can handle this," Batman said as Superman moved to pass him.

"You sure?" Superman asked.

Batman didn't even respond as they continued straight up, firing his rocket boots after burners. Passing Roxy, Batman landed and perched on the tip of her rocket.

"Now that's more like it," Roxy said, crouching and grinning harder.

They continued up into the sky, the brilliant blue gradually giving way to blackness as the air thinned. Batman gritted his teeth, forcing calm through his body even as signs of strain began to show on Roxy's face.

Black spots started to appear in front of Batman's eyes as Roxy finally passed out. With a last sputter from the engine, they reached the apex of their flight and dropped back down to Earth. Superman paced them on the decline as Batman threw himself forward and grabbed Roxy around the waist. Turing in the air, he tried to focus in on Roxy's rocket that was falling with them but couldn't do it as they began falling past the taller buildings of Metropolis again.

"Superman," Batman shouted, opening his wings once more and gliding away.

Superman grabbed the rocket and followed after Batman. They soared over the magnificent city, gradually slowing themselves down from their high speed free fall and finally came to a more or less gentle landing on the edge of Metropolis Park.

"Just like old times, eh Batman?" Roxy asked groggily as Batman set her down. There was the click and zip from near Roxy's waist. She smiled, not even having to look down to see the Bat-cuffs on her wrists. "Sure was a blast though." She leaned in and kissed Batman before stepping away and sitting down on one of the nearby park benches as the sound of police sirens could be heard coming their way.

Superman cocked an eyebrow at Batman who purposely kept his eyes pointed elsewhere. There was a soft beep from Superman's comm. Dropping Roxy's rocket to the ground, Superman touched his ear. "Go ahead."

"Superman," Mr. Terrific said, his voice tight. "We have a situation."

"Alright," Superman said as the police finally arrived and hurried over. "Teleport me and Batman up."

"Wait a second-" Batman started to say angrily before the blue glow surrounded them both and they vanished from the Earth.

To be continued...

Here we go, ladies and gentleman, another adventure. I think this will be the best one yet with plenty of action and high adrenaline. Now that I have started, look for updates Mondays and Fridays.

Thanks a bunch to my friend Kobez2.0 for the great Beta-Read!

Until Monday, my friends, I looked forward to seeing resonses and reviews!

Later,

The Dark Prince


	2. Chapter 02: Armageddon

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 02: Armageddon******

Wait a second, Clar- Superman," Batman corrected himself as the two heroes materialized onto the Watch Tower's teleportation pad. "Listen to me. I am not part of the Justice League anymore-"

"Hold on," Superman said, cutting him off. Red lights were flashing on the bridge that meant only one thing.

Batman curled his lip slightly as Superman took flight to the command bridge and walked down the few steps and past the security check in.

"Uh, sir," the young man said, lifting a hand to try and stop the Dark Knight. Batman froze him with a glare and continued walking.

"What's going on here, J'onn?" Superman asked as both J'onn and Mr. Terrific scrambled over the console's.

"Our deep space monitoring network has detected a major asteroid moving incredibly fast closing in on Earth's location," Mr. Terrific answered instead.

"What are the chances of it hitting Earth and not just passing us by?" Batman asked, managing to sneak up to the bridge without even Superman hearing his approach. Despite his age, Batman still had that talent left.

"Imminent," Mr. Terrific said simply.

"How long?" Batman asked.

"A week," J'onn said. "Maybe two."

"How did we not see this coming?" Batman asked angrily.

"We picked it up as it soon as it came around the sun," Mr. Terrific said. "Not even we can see what's behind the sun."

"We have to alert the President," Superman said, and reached over to the phone that would directly connect him with the president.

"Already done," J'onn said, the urgency of the situation making his already short conversational skills shorter. "They are scrambling to find a solution to deal with this threat."

"How big is it?" Batman asked.

"Approximately 3,000 miles around," J'onn said.

Both Batman's and Superman's jaws dropped in unison. "3,000 _miles?_" Superman asked, stunned.

"An eighth the size of Earth," Batman said.

"If that hits, it's the end of us, no question," Mr. Terrific said. "Perpetual winter."

"No," Batman said, his brilliant mind working. "It would simply cleave the planet in two."

"So what's our options?" Mr. Terrific asked. "Unless J'onn and that Kitty Pryde girl can phase this entire planet through the asteroid."

"Try not to suggest stupid things," Batman said irately. "We need real suggestions right now."

"What about going out there and planting a bomb on it and blowing it up before it gets here?" Superman asked.

"For something _that_ big?" Batman said. "No, it would never work. Besides, even if we could gather enough nuclear warheads in time, we would never make it to the asteroid itself in time."

Next to J'onn, the Presidential phone rang.

"Mr. President," J'onn said, putting the call on speaker.

"I hope you guys are having better luck than we are," the President said. "Every single scenario our staff has run so far leads to failure. Even Amanda Waller is out of suggestions."

"We are still running through the possibilities," Batman said, stepping in front of Superman as he was about to speak. "However, right now it doesn't look good."

"I see," the President said, sounding disappointed. "Well, keep trying. Seems like we have another half baked idea coming into my office now so I will get back to you." There was a click.

"War room. Now," Batman said, turning and striding off the main bridge. Superman nodded toward Mr. Terrific to signal the other founders and he and J'onn followed Batman off the bridge.

Birds and the strange sounds of unfamiliar animals twittered and howled in the dark early morning air as Kitty Pryde phased herself out of the tent she and Piotr had pitched a few days ago, leaving him quietly snoring inside. She lifted a hand and brushed the hair out of her eyes. This was exactly what she needed, a complete get-away for a little while with not another soul for hundreds of miles around. She sighed and let her hair fall back into the tangled mess that seemed unavoidable in these constantly moist rain forest environments.

Not far away was a cool stream that she had claimed as her's while on this vacation and navigated herself over to it, being wary of the indigenous animals and reptiles that may be lurking nearby. Up till now though, she had not seen any of the dangerous predators that she had expected to find. Apparently, Piotr and her violation into their sanctum had gone unnoticed so far.

She sat down on the side of the stream, softly dipping her toes into the cool, pure water. This place was nothing like New York and reminded her greatly of her trip with Hank McCoy and a few of the other X-Men into the Red Wood forest years ago. Of course there, sudden showers were never part of the territory. Here, though, rain began falling seemingly out of nowhere as it had decided to do at that exact moment, giving life to the name the forest had acquired.

She didn't let it bother her though as she leaned back on her hands and soaked in the light shower. Something slithered over her hand. With a yelp, Kitty snatched it back as a small snake slithered away into the underbrush. Kitty watched it go idly, considering for only a moment what it was like to be free of all the stress of being a mutant and just live the way the snake was. Something not far away caught her eye. She stood with slight fear and walked carefully over to the tall grass. Cautiously, she lifted the concealing leaves.

Several Jaguars lay, quite clearly dead, in the hidden grass as well as one long, large Anaconda. Ants and other scavenger insects where already taking feast, natures attempt to clean up the dead. Kitty backed away, a hand over her mouth in disgust. She looked around, now with new, suspicious eyes. Closer to the river's edge, a crocodile could now be vaguely seen hidden among more leaves.

Now she knew why she had not seen any predators around. Someone, or some_thing_, was keeping her and Piotr safe.

"Cal?" she called out, keeping her ears perked for sounds. A soft crunch from behind her. Turning, she saw the great Saiyan, minor scratches and cuts along with very shredded clothing standing behind her. "So, what, you following me or something?"

"You came here," Caliwone said. "This place," he gestured around him, "is my home."

"You live here?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered. "I like the rain."

"And these animals?"

"Hunters," Caliwone answered. He turned his back and began walking from the small clearing. "They believed you prey."

"And you killed them?" Kitty said. "You're just a big softy."

"Do not get yourself killed here," Caliwone said.

"Wait, Cal." Kitty walked over to him. "Me and Piotr are only going to be here a few more days. Why not come back to the mansion and at least gets some new clothes?" She ran a hand over his tattered shirt. "Lord knows you need one."

Caliwone removed her hand from his chest, his tail unconsciously loosening around his waist and curling behind him. "I am fine without new clothing," he said, dropping her hand.

"Fine," Kitty said, playfully but gently grabbing his tail. "Run around butt naked for all I care. Not like the animals are going to mind." Caliwone half turned to look back at her, twitching his tail out from her grasp. "You know, you really need to smile more and not in that devious way you have."

Caliwone jumped back into the high trees, leaving her to stand in the clearing for a moment before heading back to the camp.

"So that's it," Flash asked looking around the table at his fellow founders.

"That's it," John said. "The entire Green Lantern's Corp is on its way but not even they can stop something this big and moving that fast."

"Heavy things in motion," Shayera said, running a hand through her hair, "tend to stay in motion."

"Not even you?" Flash asked Dr. Fate in the corner.

"My mysticism would normally allow me to simply transport the calamity to another portion of space but the sheer size makes that impossible."

"What about the Android?" Flash asked. "He's moved planets before."

"Ivo's Android has left Earth on the mission to continue its evolution," Dr. Fate said with a shrug. "Being immortal has given him quite a hunger for continual improvement."

"As long as he doesn't turn into another Brainiac," Superman muttered.

"And the military cannot do anything within the given timeline," Superman said. "It's up to us to do something."

"So what is it we are going to do?" Diana asked irritatedly next to Batman. "We should not be sitting around here doing nothing."

"I understand your impatience, Diana," Superman said.

"The problem is that the vast majority of the League members cannot survive in space," J'onn said. "Even with space suits their powers would be severely restricted. The best hope we have is allowing the Green Lantern Corps to do what they can to slow the asteroid in space and mount a single offensive from within the atmosphere."

Flash's jaw dropped. "For _inside_ the atmosphere?" he asked. "Cutting things a little close, aren't you?"

"The Watch Tower itself will also be lending a hand," Batman said. "We will rotate the ship and direct its Binary Fusion Canon at the approaching asteroid."

"Doing so will destabilize the Watch Tower's orbit," J'onn said.

"The Fusion Canon is quite possibly the most powerful man-made weapon on Earth next to a nuclear bomb," Batman said. "It doesn't matter what happens to the Watch Tower."

The group was silent for a moment.

"I'm heading into to space lend my hand to the rest of the Corp," John said at last. "Hopefully this ends well."

"Good luck, John," Superman said before he headed out with Shayera right behind to give him a more personal farewell, behind the closed conference room doors.

"We have approximately two days to set up our blockade," Superman said.

"Clean out your rooms," Batman added as the group stood to leave. "Get everyone else briefed and ready."

John Stewart unbuckled from his seat as his Javelin came out of warp and came in close to the asteroid. Clicking the auto pilot, he lowered the ramp and jumped out into space, his green glow surrounding and protecting him in space. He raced toward the asteroid.

He had thought when he had jumped out of the ship he had been relatively close to the thing but due to some sort of interference from the asteroid itself, he had not been able to confirm his distance and spent several minutes trying to reach the asteroid. Eventually, he used his ring to spear the asteroid and reel himself closer.

Behind the asteroid, a Boom-Tube like tear in space opened and the entire Green Lantern's Corp flew through it, Kyle Rainer and Katma Tui in the lead. Combining their powers, the Corps sank more spears into the asteroid and hauled back, trying to slow the enormous asteroid but the sheer size and speed of the asteroid made this an almost impossible task.

"Come on," John said through gritted teeth as he strained but it was useless.

"Focus, John," Katma said as she strained too. "We have a long way to Earth. Don't burn yourself up too quickly.

"At the rate we are going," Kyle Rayner said, "it may not be long enough."

Superman floated high in the atmosphere where the air was thin and the sky was nearly the pitch black of space and saw the dark bulk of the Asteroid. Although it was still very far away distance wise, the enormous size, it seemed as though it was directly on top of them already. The asteroid was expected soon and even with the efforts of the Corps, it was still advancing at a terrific rate.

"Superman," J'onn said through Superman's comm. "The Watch Tower has been completely evacuated and is in stationary orbit above you."

"I see it," Superman said as he looked up. The Watch Tower was now upside down, its large cannon pointed toward the calamity and being controlled remotely from the Metro Tower. The white ship hung there looking almost innocent, apparently resigned to it fate.

"Heads up," Mr. Terrific said sharply. "We've got incoming."

Superman glanced back down towards Earth and the city below that marked the estimated collision. Metropolis and the tall building of the Daily Planet stood shining in the daylight near the eastern sea board. Every available League member with the ability to fly and help repel the asteroid floated defiantly behind him; all of them ready to give their lives if necessary. Everyone else was either piloting the Javelin's or was on ground control helping with the last evacuations. Above them all, small starbursts marked the arrival of the first wave of debris from the asteroid entered the atmosphere.

"Here they come," Superman shouted. They Javelin's fired first, shredding the space rocks with their advanced targeting systems and laser weaponry, cutting through those that did not burn themselves up. What passed through that defense, Superman and the rest of the Justice League attacked.

"We can't let any of them through," Superman roared as his eyes flashed red. The rest opened up as well, along with Tony Stark and several others unassociated with the League. Even still, several meteors still made it through the second line. Like missiles, they streaked down toward Metropolis, cutting clean through buildings, impacting and blowing up in others or landing in the ocean just to the east. The streets spiked and split as they were impacted, making cars bounce and setting off car alarms or being crushed under falling bits of building.

The third line of defense on the ground did what they could to reduce damages but there was little that could be done. Flash swore, one of few times he could ever remember himself doing so. This was a disaster but he knew that almost everyone was holding back so they could give their fullest to preventing the collision from the asteroid.

Another rock streaked in trailing fire in his direction. Running fast in a tight circle, Flash slowed the rock with the force of the wind and it fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Hey, Fate," Flash yelled into his comm. "Anytime now."

"I am ready," Fate said back through the comm.

The sky just above the city seemed to shine with a purplish tinge. Brightly gold symbols from some strange forgotten language seemed to shift through it as if they were themselves alive. The meteors continued to fall but as they hit the shine, they vanished.

"A teleportation spell," Fate said through the comm., obviously guessing Flash's inevitable question, "only on a much larger scale."

"Ah," Flash said. "Uh, good work."

"Listen up, everybody," Superman said through the comm. "The asteroid is here. We may not be able to stop it but I just want each of you all to know that I am proud of you. It has been an honor."

Superman closed the link as the asteroid raced closer; filling nearly all the space he could see. The Watch Tower struck first, firing the Binary Fusion Cannon and full force dead center onto the asteroid. The force of its own power pushing it out of orbit as Superman's heat vision, along with everyone else's attacks crashed into the gigantic asteroid with it. With the combined forces of all the Earth's heroes and the Green Lantern's Corp, the asteroid began to slow further.

Light flashed as the Watch Tower lost its orbit and fell into the atmosphere. Flames licked around its edges as it gained speed from mother Earth's gravity. Its hull eventually collapsing and melting. The cannon sputtered and cut off as the famous Watch Tower broke in two and crashed with a mighty splash off the coast.

"Superman," Mr. Terrific called to him urgently through his comm. "It's not enough! If that hits ground, the whole world will be affected."

Superman abandoned his heat vision and rushed the asteroid, drilling his shoulder into the rock and pushing with everything he had. It wasn't enough. He could still feel the asteroid pushing its way forward toward Metropolis, its gigantic size making it appear to be moving slower than it really was. He looked around him, the bright lights and colors of the other's attacks continued to blaze around him although the efforts seemed to be in vain.

Without warning, a new beam of energy slammed into the asteroid from somewhere south, its blue intensity causing the air to ripple visibly in a dazzling distortion. Superman recognized it immediately even as another beam of light smashed into the asteroid, this time coming from the east over the ocean in a fiery red display.

Superman felt the asteroid shudder hard and ever so slowly, came to a reluctant halt. He didn't move for a moment, almost unwilling to believe they had done it.

"J'onn?" Superman asked, his voice shaky.

"The asteroid has come to a complete stop," J'onn said as the sound of his fingers dancing quickly over his console. "It has taken up stationary orbit approximately 200 hundred miles up in the Earth's atmosphere."

"That's a little close, isn't it?" Superman asked as he glanced south to where the first of the beams had originated. A small speck with a golden aura was approaching rapidly.

"Far too close," J'onn answered. "We will have to push it back into space or into another orbit soon before the moon completes its own orbit. Not to mention how the gravitational field will affect Earth."

"I think we will be able to manage that," Superman said with a broad grin as Caliwone came to a halt near him. "Dr. Fate should be able to counter that part. Long enough to get it back out into space, anyway."

Superman flew over to Caliwone with his arms spread. "Caliwone! I'm so glad to see you," he said and tried to hug him. Caliwone drilled a knee into his stomach and backed away as Superman gasped for air.

"The Hell you trying to do?" Caliwone demanded in a fighting stance.

"Showing you gratitude," Superman said, wheezing slightly.

"Right," Caliwone said suspiciously and turned his attention up to the asteroid that covered the sky as many green glowing specks flew down to Earth. "What do you plan to do with this space trash?"

"Well," Superman said, looking up at the asteroid too. "We are going to have to move it before our moon collides with it at the very least."

Caliwone frowned. "That will not happen."

Superman glanced over at his friend. "No, it won't. Would you care to help me move it?"

Helen Noventa lowered her hands and allowed her golden Super Saiyan hair to return to its normal red, ignoring all the panic that was still in full procession all around her. Even from here her Saiyan eyes could just make out the glow of Caliwone as he raced over to the asteroid. Even if she hadn't been able to see him, the warm sense of his energy could plainly be sensed. Earth had nothing to fear.

She glanced over at the shops that stretched down the streets, all with shattered glass windows or fires still burning inside them. On the spaces between windows, warnings of fear crazed individuals were scratched into the brick; "The end is here", "God's mighty fist", "Repent".

Such nonsense. She turned her back to the asteroid floating so high in the sky with all of Earth's greatest heroes hovering around it but came to a stop near one darkened ally. A small child lay face down on the ground, her little hands still wrapped around her stuffed bear. Tread marks could be seen along the back of her cloths from the stampeding hoards of terrified people as they had fled to shelters.

Helena knelt down next to the girl and rested a hand on one crushed shoulder. She glanced back up at the enormous asteroid and felt an unsettling feeling rest itself in the pit of her stomach. She had a bad feeling about this situation and something in the back of her mind told her that the real crushing blow was yet to come.

To be continued...

This sure doesn't look good! What will happen now? The excitement starts now...

Thanks guys for the awesome reviews! I feel great getting these posted finally. I hope everyone is enjoying the story and look forward to seeing your awesome reviews!


	3. Chapter 03: Turmoil

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 03: Turmoil******

**2 Months Later**

J'onn Jon'zz stood in the Metro Tower and rubbed his eyes in a very human gesture of weariness even as his secret thoughts about the species pulled at him. In his way of thinking, humans were far more curious than even those cat animals and even he knew what happened to them with too much curiosity.

He reached forward and manipulated one of the myriad controls on the console in front of him and the large screen shifted its view until the massive asteroid filled the display; a purple mist blurring its edges and adding a somewhat surreal look as compared to the black of space behind it. Of course, the world was now use to this view as it hovered over the northern part of Ontario and Hudson Bay.

Small shuttles buzzed like gnats around the massive asteroid as miners and scientists continued their research, taking samples and trying to figure out where it had come from, how old it was, and other such information. Many of Earth's heroes and citizen's had fought hard against the idea of leaving the asteroid in Earth's orbit but with Dr. Fates spell to fend off the enormous gravity that would have normally wreaked havoc on Earth's structure, the politicians and scientists had had their way.

Below him, dozens of analysts and techs sat at their stations keeping a cautious eye on the communications and events surrounding the asteroid should Fate's spell fail or their heroic presents were needed. Luckily, everything seemed to be running smoothly with no incidents to report. All in all, no reason to complain.

Behind J'onn, the familiar _hiss-click_ of the sliding door on to the command tower whisper across the short distance followed by the familiar sound Superman floating over to him. He sighed and closed his eyes knowing, even without the use of his formidable telepathy, what exactly it was that Superman came all the way up here for.

"How are you, J'onn?" Superman started off with a warm smile and a friendly hand on J'onn's shoulder.

"I am fine," J'onn said, his strictly monotone voice giving nothing away about his tightening chest. "What brings you to the command tower this day?" he asked, getting to the point.

"I came to give you a day off," Superman said. "You've been working the last three days straight.

"I am fine," J'onn said again. "There are several important projects running simultaneously right now that require my attention. Several scientists are making the first attempt to penetrate into the asteroid. The Justice League must be ready to assist." J'onn reached forward to his console and tapped a button. "Diana, there seems to be a problem at the base below the asteroid. Please move in and assist." He got an acknowledgement and on the display in front of him, a small red dot began moving down from its hovering position around the asteroid.

"I understand," Superman said, nodding. "But there doesn't seem to be anything urgent at the moment. Mr. Terrific or I can take over for you while you take a break."

"There is no need. I much rather stay where I am needed."

Superman sighed and moved directly in front of J'onn. "The League and I appreciate your dedication but you need to get out once in a while. I'm starting to get worried about your health, even."

"That is not necessary," J'onn said. "I am out in this world enough."

Superman cocked an eyebrow, an expression he had picked up from Batman long ago. "Really? When was the last time you were on a mission?"

J'onn narrowed his glowing eyes just slightly but it was as good as an aloud admittance.

"Take three days off from the command spot, J'onn," Superman said. "Don't make me pull rank on you or I will suspend your League membership for that time."

The air between the two aliens gained an almost palpable thickness as the threat hovered in the air. They both knew that Superman would never do such a thing but the implied seriousness was not lost on the Martian.

"Pull rank?" Flash asked as he walked onto the command tower, glazed donut in one hand and slipping on a fruit smoothie in the other. "Since when are we a military organization?" He paused in mid step, no doubt translating the look Superman was giving the Scarlet Speedster as 'You aren't helping'.

"Did I say 'military organization'?" Flash said, coming out with one of his typical back tracks. "I meant this is one of the best smoothies I've ever head. You guys should really check them out."

Superman ran a hand down his face and turned his attention back to J'onn. "I mean it, J'onn. Take some time off." J'onn held Superman's gaze for a moment then turned on his heel and walked off the bridge.

"That was tense," Flash said with a slurp of his smoothie.

"What is it, Flash?" Superman asked, turning his attention to his friend.

"Strawberry," Flash said, tilting his cup just enough for the Man of Steel to see inside.

Superman shook his head. "No, I mean what is it you wanted?"

"Huh?" Flash said, his face blanking into the clueless norm. "Oh," he answered himself as the reality of his mission came rushing back through the mental haze. "Captain Atom and Steel said that the reactor is ready to support the expansion to the Metro Tower."

"Great," Superman said as Flash took another slurp. He grinned slyly as a thought struck him. "So, these smoothies. What flavors do they come in?"

Wally flashed a quick smile before vanishing in a streak of red. Superman's cape billowed outward, sucked into Flash's slipstream, and before it had time to settle, the Scarlett Speedster skidded to a halt holding four smoothie's in a convenient carrier. "There's Strawberry, Banana, Pineapple, and something called Coco Frappuccino la Mocha which sounds totally disgusting to me but apparently a lot of people like it so I got it for you anyway." Superman shook his head, grinning, and took the pineapple. He didn't really feel like risking his life over a smoothie.

Batman crouched in the darkened alleyway far from any of Gotham's working street lamps and peered discreetly around the sharp corner into another set of alley's that branched off into several different directions. As was unfortunately typical within the darkness that was Gotham night, trash lay scattered about in a dirty, windswept pattern and an overflowing dumpster that only years of disconcern or care could accomplish on this side of town.

Brightly colored graffiti splashed themselves in obscure symbols of the various gangs that plagued this city, despite the Dark Knights constant interference and Bruce Wayne's funding to the Gotham P.D. to prevent their growth. Of course, Gotham had many problems and the rise of new gangs that were stealing kids from their families as recruits was apparently not on the top of politician's priority lists.

His Bat-suit picked up the faint sounds of crackling wrappers behind him. A moment later, the suit identified the sounds as a rather plump rat doing its best to secure the final crumbs left out of a potato chip bag, its tail lashing in frustration as some morsel seemed to be resisting the repeated attempts. Ignoring the sound, Batman switched his vision to follow the inferred, searching for any sign of movement.

Over the last few months, coincidently coinciding with the arrival of the asteroid orbiting over eastern Canada, Batman had been noting the increase in drug trafficking throughout the rising gangs in Gotham, beginning with the newest group to join the upper ranks of lower Gotham taking the name Jokerz to commemorate Batman's fallen nemeses, the Joker. Batman felt his lip twist in disdain but focused his attention at the task at hand. In the last few weeks, he had been monitoring several communication networks and had finally pinned down this area as one of several likely drops points. This growth in drugs needed to be stopped and fast.

There had been several different autopsy reports that Commissioner Gordon had been willing to share with him and all shared several commonalities. The first link was that all of the victims had connections into one or more gangs on this side of town. In this day and age it was almost impossible to find a teen that did not have at least one person they called a friend in one of the gangs but in these particular cases, the connections were much more solid.

The second link was in all related incidents, large quantities of residual toxins that could be found in several confiscated drugs and gases that inhabited Gotham P.D. warehouses were found inside each of the victims. The common link there: Scarecrow.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Batman eased around the corner and moved swiftly down the alley. With the advanced systems and equipment loaded into his suit he was able to hear the low murmurs of conversation maybe a half mile down the left most alley. Slowing as he came to an indented nook in the alley wall, he pressed a button along his utility belt. A sudden tingling buzz started at the tips of his fingers and along the bottoms of his feet. Like a spider, Batman climbed up the side of the building and halted just above the indent. As suspected, the door that should have concealed the inner room to the rundown building was gone leaving the mass of Jokerz completely visible to any passerby; and any passerby visible to the hoard of Jokerz.

Placing two fingers down on the chipped walls, Batman activated his sonar. Several dozen Jokerz were in fact spaced across the shambled room, some lounging, others acting as security detail for tonight's event. They all seemed to be waiting for something to happen but, judging from the direction of attention from them, he would have to be inside the room to clearly find out what it was. And the only way to do that and remain unnoticed was to be invisible; which was a definite possibility for him.

He reached down with his free hand and twisted the dial that was centered on his utility belt. His black suit faded into nothing as his suit camouflaged itself almost perfectly, projecting an ever adapting image of what was directly opposite the viewer. Dropping down to the alleyway once more, the Dark Knight proceeded to walk gingerly into the midst of Jokerz without raising any suspicion and planted himself several meters up on the far wall.

He didn't have to wait long for his suspicions to be confirmed. Dark smoke began creeping out of an open doorway that lead to a darkened room, instantly quieting the Jokerz' cracks and conversation as a scream cut through the room and out into the alley. All the Jokerz sat suddenly straighter or reached for weapons as a figure was thrown from the darkness to land in the midst of Jokerz, writhing and screaming. Batman recognized the young man, or rather, the colors he was wearing as a member of the Jokerz biggest rival.

"Fear," a terrifying voice croaked from the darkness, accompanied by the stiff click of a cane, "is a powerful weapon. You will have the power to strike your enemies down to pitiful moaning children before you," Jonathan Crane said, indicating the writhing boy as the aging man walked out of the darkness, his terrifying trademarked mask in place over his face, his eyes glinting a dark yellow as his gaze swept across the assembled Jokerz.

Batman's eyes narrowed from where he watched. Tapping a concealed button on the side of his mask, chemical indicators overlaid his vision, giving him a complete readout of any gases that was in the area. He grimaced again as the analysis indicated that the smoke that had preceded the Scarecrow's dramatic entrance had in fact contained a small dose of his "Fear Gas" that helped sell his own terrifying image. A cheap trick.

"How does this stuff work, man?" one of the Jokerz asked challengingly. "What we gotta do, stick a needle into each one of 'em?"

Crane lifted a hand as if to beckon the fool forward. "Not at all," Crane soothed as the young man inched cautiously forward. "It's as simple as tossing a smoke bomb. All you need is opportunity." Crane jerked his hand to the side and a spray of toxic gas spewed into the face of one of the foremost Jokerz sitting quietly to the side.

"The Toxin works quickly," Crane said as the kid began screaming in terror. "Only brief exposure to the gas is necessary before my chemical invades the mind, inducing images of the victim's worst fears to become reality. In minutes, even the toughest and bravest of you would be crying for mommy and daddy. Just imagine all of your worst fears clouding your mind, distracting you, consuming you from your goals." Crane looked the man who had asked the initial question square in the eye. "Does all this answer your question, I wonder?"

The boy nodded silently and hurriedly backed away to the back of the group. Batman had seen enough. Dropping down to the floor, Batman cocked back a Batarang and hurled it. The cane Scarecrow had been holding flew from his hand as the Batarang struck, knocking into the darkened room behind him.

The Jokerz turned to see Batman turn his camouflage off and reveal himself. "Selling your gas to kids now, Crane," Batman said calmly, even as the Jokerz stood to fight. "Business must be rough."

"Batman," Crane gasped, taking a step back, looking for all the world as if he had gassed himself with his own fear toxin. "It can't be."

"Oh, it can," Batman said. "Give up now, Crane."

"I won't go back, Batman," Crane said. "Never again will I go back." He turned and fled into the darkened room which he had only minutes ago made such a grand entrance as the Jokerz struck. Batman nearly sighed, his own old age making him weary of these one sided fights.

The biggest of the Jokerz rushed him; he kicked out he the man's knee and it bent backwards under his booted foot, dropping the man in to a screaming wreck on the floor. At that, the rest rushed him as one.

Batman dodged and countered with the ease and grace of long practice and hard-won experience, his movements giving no indication that it was an aged man encased within the advanced suit as he tore through the ranks of the fledgling gang.

Several minutes later, Batman raced through the room Scarecrow had exited through and into the adjacent alley several doors later. Touching the side of his mask again, Crane's shoe prints jumped out off the ground in a brilliant blue, making tracking his quarry much easier. Launching into a full run, Batman raced down the alley and around a corner.

Crane was waiting for him and before his slowing reflexes could allow, Crane's cane swung around and slammed full tilt into his face. Batman's vision scrambled as the electronically enhanced vision failed to absorb the entirety of the impact. His vision came back online just as Crane unleashed a spray of his fear gas.

Batman coughed and choked as Crane swung again and again, trying to hurt Batman enough to escape. The new suit did a more than decent job of filtering the toxin out and was able to kick Crane off of himself. His vision wavered slightly as the little amounts of toxin managed to get through. His world seemed to bend slightly, bubbling outward and making it hard keep his feet underneath him.

He shook his head, trying to clear it and face Crane but the alley was becoming dark. A pattering sound started up lightly in his ear, the sound of a soft rain splashing down on a deserted street where a child sat crying into the night. He shook his head again, clearing his vision.

There was a sudden crunching sound behind him and a muted squeal. Batman whipped around, dropping automatically into a fighting stance but for once, his vigil was unneeded. Caliwone stood directly behind him, his fist gripping the Scarecrow's limp form around the neck and his face planted quite firmly into the wall.

"Careless," Caliwone said darkly, looking disgustedly at the human he held. "Vermin like this have no place laying a hand on you. What's the matter, getting too old for the job?" Batman glared at the Saiyan but said nothing, relaxing out of his battle stance and standing to his full height.

"That's it," Jonathan Crane said, his voice muffled from behind his mask. "I can't do this anymore. Please, be merciful."

Caliwone snorted in disgust but released Crane from his iron grip. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, moaning and sobbing in final defeat as Batman stepped over to him and relieved him of his toxin canister on his back. Handing it to Caliwone, Batman got his own grip on Crane and lifted him off the ground. Caliwone snorted again as he looked down at the canister that had been shoved into his arms. With a clanking sound, Caliwone dropped the canister on the trash laden ally. Batman looked up sharply at the sound, then leapt backwards quickly as Caliwone ignited the canister with a blast, sending its gas contents billowing outward around the area.

Batman felt a chilling fear grip his chest as the fear gas buried Caliwone within its midst and Scarecrow's chilling laugh filled the area. For a brief moment, Batman thought back to the last time Caliwone had been gassed by the Scarecrow. That time, it had taken Superman's help to restrain Caliwone and get him back to the Watch Tower and the medical bay. Caliwone was much stronger than that now and the thought of him flying in fear blinded rage around Gotham terrified him.

Light penetrated through the gas in a dazzling display before Caliwone's blue aura blew away the toxic smoke with violent ease, folding his arms across his chest as the gas dissipated in the air.

"What?" Caliwone asked, seeing Batman's concerned expression. "Point your worried eyes somewhere else."

Batman narrowed his eyes and turned his back to the Saiyan. "Sorry," Batman said, his voice laden with thick sarcasm. "I was just thinking what would become of Gotham if you lost control of yourself."

"Hn," Caliwone snorted. "You cannot use the same toxins against a Saiyan more than once. Once we are exposed to it, our bodies learn how to expel it. It makes us more efficient in battle."

"Right," Batman said, glancing back over his shoulder as Crane began weeping in Batman's clutches. "Speaking of which, what are you doing in Gotham?"

Caliwone eyed the Bat for a moment, debating on whether or not it was any of Batman's concern. Deciding on indifference, Caliwone said, "I was going to Xavier's place for new garments."

Batman smirked slightly. "Is that _all_ you were going there for?"

Caliwone's back stiffened, not noticeably, but enough for the Dark Knight to easily pick up on. "Yes," Caliwone said tartly, "that is _all_."

"Fine," Batman said, giving Caliwone one last sweeping gaze that concluded that Caliwone was in very desperate need of clothing, as he had said. "I am heading over to Metro Tower. Why not join me over there and we can get you some new clothes."

Caliwone snorted again at the thought of seeing Kal-El and the largest organization of Earth's heroes. "And I suppose you want me to give you a ride on my back like an animal, too?"

Batman turned to face Caliwone. Lifting his arm to point at the sky, Batman fired a grapple. "No thanks," he said as his grapple vanished inside the hovering vehicle of his Batmobile. With a zip, Batman and Scarecrow vanished inside his vehicle, the bottom hatch irising closed and roared off in the direction of Gotham P.D. and where Commissioner Gordon waited on the rooftop, then the two raced off toward Metro Tower.

Shayera covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut tightly, hoping that the wailing would eventually silence itself and alleviate her growing headache. Unfortunately, nothing ever came that easily. Little Rex continued to flail his little arms from his seated spot on the floor of the bedroom inside Metro Tower, screaming desperately at the top of his lungs. She growled in annoyance, giving Diana's favorite praise to Hera that she would survive this. Nowhere did it ever say in the job description of parenthood that this was common place.

She grimaced as she took a seat on one corner of the bed as the vision of Vixen floated into her mind, laughing in silent glee at her struggles. The same look that was shadowed on Vixen's face every time Shayera had seen her since Rex had been born, in fact. Of course, publicly Marie had shown nothing but care for her situation and had offered only her most sincere wishes and the best of luck.

Right.

On Thanagar, they had select Thanagarians that raised their young, rather than the parentals, and the system had worked for untold generations. That's how she had been raised and she had turned out just fine. But John had insisted on doing it the traditional Earth way and now here she was, ready to rip her own ears off to gain a moment of peace and quiet.

On the floor, Rex rolled over onto his hands and knees and crawled over to his favorite stuffed animal and the door that lead to the living room, if such a small space could be called 'living'. Once there he levered himself up on the door frame and wailed harder with his impressive lungs. Even so, the muted _hiss_ and _hiss-click_ of the automatic sliding entrance door to the senior suite could be heard and soon after, John stepped into the bedroom.

"Hey there, big man," John said as he looked down at his son. Rex Stewart's wails stopped immediately upon seeing his dad, and his desperate cry turned into an excited giggle as John lifted him up and bounced him gently in the air. "Have you been a good boy?"

"Terrific," Shayera grumbled, flopping backwards onto the bed and messaging her temples. "Little daddy's boy. He's been crying since you left. I was about to get my mace and-"

"Shayera," John said warningly, setting the laughing Rex in the crook of his arm and walking over to look down at Shayera.

"What?" Shayera asked crossly. "This was all your idea to raise him ourselves," Shayera said, then groaned. "I have a migraine."

"There's medicine in the cabinet," John said.

"No, there isn't," Shayera said. "I took it all."

"There was a full bottle," John said, shocked.

"We need bigger bottles."

With a sigh, John set Rex down on Shayera's stomach. "Alright, I'll go get you some more. Be back in a few minutes."

"NO!" Shayera said, sitting up quickly and shoving Rex back into John's arms and B-lined for the door. "I don't think I- Rex could take any more time away from you."

John smiled and lifted Rex up high in the air. "I suppose it's for the best, especially since your friend will be arriving here soon."

Shayera paused with her hand on the door and looked back. "Who?"

With a rumble of its engine and a final spurt of thruster exhaust, the newly revamped Batmobile glided smoothly into the landing bay of Metro Tower and settled gently down on the pad to which Batman had been assigned. Caliwone followed suit, landing lightly next to the Batmobile, releasing his blue tinged aura with a flourish as Batman slide the top hatch open and hopped out. Clicking a button on his belt, the vehicle gave a completely out of place sounding _click-beep_ common to mid grade car security alarms as the hatch closed and locked.

Batman gave Caliwone a quick glance then headed over to where three figures awaited in the entrance into the Metro Tower proper. As they approached, Shayera squeezed out from between Wally and Superman and ran over to Caliwone and threw her arms around his neck. "Caliwone, it's been far too long. Tell me everything that's been going on?"

To his credit, Caliwone did not push her away immediately, allowing the embrace of his adoptive sister that looked and acted much as his own true sister, Apale. He stiffened as he caught himself thinking even slightly affectionately and pushed her gently away.

"Shayera," Caliwone said evenly.

"You really need to come by and visit more. Did you know John and I have a kid now?"

"There will be time for touching reunions later," Batman said, brushing past Superman and Flash and into Metro Tower proper. "We have business. Get J'onn and the others and meet me in the conference room. Now."

Shayera gave Caliwone a questioning look to which he returned a frown and she headed off to collect Green Lantern. With a nod from Superman, Flash dashed off to the comm., presumably to contact Diana and J'onn while Superman waited for Caliwone. Raising a hand, Superman smiled as he waited for Caliwone to shake it. Frowning harder, Caliwone glanced down at the hand then met Superman's eyes.

"You haven't changed much, have you," Superman said as he lowered his hand. "Always putting up that cold front."

"And you do not learn very quickly, do you, Kal-El?" Caliwone retorted.

Superman grinned, knowing a joke, no matter how harshly intended, from the Saiyan when he heard one. "Same ol' Caliwone," Superman said with friendly affection.

"I said NOW," Batman said without looking back at the two Supermen. Caliwone cracked the barest of grins as he brushed past the Man of Steel to follow the Bat.

"So what's this all about, Bruce," Superman said as the seven founding members sat around the conference table that Flash had insisted be saved from the Watch Tower while Caliwone hovered off in the darkest corner of the room.

"I've been analyzing the communications networks in the area around Gotham to help uncover drug trafficking by the Scarecrow and keeping an eye on the communications surrounding the asteroid in case of any sabotage attempts," Batman started out and slid a slim data reader across the table to stop in the center. Above it, a hologram sputtered into existence. The research base named the Asteroid Assessment Operations Post, dubbed as A.A.O.P, sat centered in the hologram and displaying a five mile radius around it and the several other smaller research facilities around it. The asteroid itself hung high in the air in a hazy blue. On the asteroid itself, several sections we highlighted, indicating the current working area's where teams of scientists had chosen to begin their research. From each of those sites, multi-colored lines lanced down to the A.A.O.P and then from the base out beyond the edges of the hologram.

"The lines going to and from the A.A.O.P. and the other posts indicate the lines of communications," Batman explained. "The different colors represent the different agencies and countries involved in the effort. As I was running a threat assessment across the different frequencies, I stumbled onto subtle encodings hidden within small sections of the communications."

"Alright," John said from his position at the table. "You already have the governments and people's communications separated out. Just trace the encoded messages to which country and get an investigation underway."

"I would," Batman said, "but the problem is, it's not coming from any specific group. It's hidden within every frequency." Tapping a button on a small controller, the light show the hologram was putting on changed abruptly. Now, instead of solid colors being transmitted to the A.A.O.P. and the other posts, each one flickered with purple briefly and randomly.

"At first I thought it was interference from the asteroid," Batman said. "Low scale radiation or flickers of instability from Fate's spell but that's not the case. I had my computers backtrack all the communications in the area since the Asteroids arrival and found that these bursts of communication started nearly three days _after_ the asteroid's arrival."

"So you believe there is life on the asteroid?" J'onn asked, his previous dampened attitude forgotten under this precedence.

"Come on, J'onn," Flash piped up. "_Another_ alien theory?"

"That does seem to be our luck, Wally," John said, gesturing to J'onn, Superman, Shayera, and Caliwone.

"Or whoever is sending the communications is trying to blanket the entire network so no one can track the signals effectively," Diana spoke up. "If this involves Lex Luthor or some of our other foes, it is a possibility that this could be a homeland threat as opposed to being another invasion attempt."

"So why didn't you bring this up earlier?" Shayera asked, ignoring Flash for the time being.

"I had to be sure," Batman said. "The only reason I am bringing it up now is because we need to find out where these communications are going or coming from and the Bat-cave is not as well equipped as Metro Tower for this kind of thing." Clicking a button again, the hologram switched a live view of the asteroid, complete with ascending and descending ships. "Our main focus right now is to pin down where on the asteroid the signals are emanating from while Metro Tower tracks down the location outside of the area. Whatever is going on, we may be able to prevent any kind of terrorist attack on the asteroid or if it is an alien invasion of some kind, then we may be able to gain a head start."

Batman broke off as the communication networks going from the asteroid to the ground that were still being displayed on the hologram suddenly cut off across all bands, leaving only messages going to the asteroid in an ever increasing panic from all posts. At three points on the asteroid, all equally spaced from each other, rocks fell. Nothing too large, probably no bigger than the size of a compact car, but at the same time to crash with a splash into Hudson Bay. As the heroes all watched in shock and amazement, three objects were suddenly jettisoned from all three points on the asteroid at an astounding speed, well out of range of the holograms view.

"Get a track on those objects," Batman snapped into his comm. link as he stood abruptly to his feet.

"Sir, the three objects are already out of sensor range," the panicked tech reported immediately.

"Then get a track on their trajectory. I want to know where those things went," Superman cut in.

"Yes sir," the tech replied. "We will have the coordinates when you arrive on the command deck."

A cold chuckle froze the group in mid bustle, that being the last sound they were expecting to hear in the midst of a crisis. Caliwone stood himself up from against the shadowed wall he had been leaning on as he watched the conversation between the League members. "I guess that puts an end to the question of whether this is an invasion or not." His voice was calm and icy cool, freezing the edges of the wooden conference table with their touch. "It would seem we have a fight on our hands."

To be continued…

OMG! Looks like Caliwone is ready to fight like the true Saiyan he is. Could he be iching for a battle so much that he could cause an interplanetary war by accident? Or is this the beginnings of an invasion?

Keep reading and reviewing and chapter 04 will be out soon!

Thanks Kobez2.0 for another great Beta! Make sure you check "Blurred Identity"!

See ya soon

The Dark Prince


	4. Chapter 04: In the Mind

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 04: In the Mind******

"Well?" Batman asked as he and the founding seven took their first steps into the organized chaos of the command floor. Images where playing and replaying of the mysterious flight of whatever had flown out of the asteroid in three directions. Calculations and theories crowded the air, limiting conversations to within feet of each other but Batman's sharp voice cut through the cacophony like a knife through butter.

"Sir," the senior analyst spoke up as the general noise dropped a few octaves. "We have plotted the angles and have an impact point. One was heading for northern Asia, one for Europe, and one for the United States. The President has already been informed and the military are scrambling Predators as we speak."

"I'm going, too," Superman said. "In case there's a problem, I want to know about it first."

"Diana, Flash, you're with me," Batman said, turning toward the door that lead to the bays.

"I'd rather not," Diana said, crossing her arms and sending a glare down at Batman.

"Now," Batman said, his naturally threatening voice carrying unsung baggage with it as he addressed the Amazon. Almost against her will, she started to follow although the scowl on her face said she wasn't happy about it. Flash's mouth quirked as he followed, knowing this whole trip was going to be anything less than pleasant.

"I want the coordinates to each of the UFO's that launched from the asteroid uploaded onto the Javelin. We will be going after the one that was headed for Europe."

"UFO's?" Flash asked, hesitant about the situation he now found himself in being stuck between Bruce and Diana's unsettled emotions but his own curious nature endured.

"Could you identify them?" Batman asked.

"No," Flash said. "But-"

"Were they flying?" Batman cut him off.

"Yeah but-"

"Then their UFO's," Batman said. The rest of that particular conversation was cut off as the doors slid shut behind them.

Next to Superman, Caliwone gave a sharp snort of disgusted annoyance. Over the last four years living peacefully among these aliens, he had grown to understand the basic nature of humans but even still, his patience for such nonsense was limited.

"You do what you want with the other two," Caliwone said, turning and heading for the door that Batman, Diana, and Flash had walked through, "but leave the third to me."

"What?" Superman asked, genuinely surprised. "I didn't think you were interested in Earth affairs."

"I'm not," Caliwone said, cocking his head. "But when there is a battle to fought, you can bet I will be there."

"We don't know anything yet," John said. "We can't just jump to conclusions here."

"You can sit around and play stupid if you want to," Caliwone said with a sharp look in John's direction. "But a warrior can sense a battle long before any _facts_ can prove a thing."

"No wonder your race is extinct, jumping into fights without cause," John said.

Caliwone stiffened, his eyes cooling dangerously. "And it's a wonder your race has survived as long as it has, living in a constant haze of spring time and fluff."

"What's that suppose to mean?" John asked, his brow beginning to furrow in anger.

Caliwone half turned back to face John. "It means that your entire human race is nothing but a weak and pointless group of vermin sitting on this little powder puff of a planet spinning through the cosmos. You're little band of heroes reduced to capturing petty thieves." Caliwone spat to the side. "Pathetic."

"We've had our wars," John retorted. "We've had wars that were so horrible it gave whole generations nightmares. Wars that reached all across our world."

"Ha," Caliwone said, not impressed. "Then use those supposed warriors instinct to see beyond your uncertainty."

"Enough, you two," Superman said, stepping between the verbal combatants. "Why don't we try a different approach. J'onn?"

J'onn's eyes turned a bright orange, glowing ominously as the Martian's mind reached across space to probe the asteroid. His mind blanked everything else out around him, leaving darkness all around as he reached mentally out toward his only focus, as dark and as difficult see as a seed against the backdrop of space.

He placed a mental hand along the asteroid's cool exterior, a feeling of great age about its rough surface. J'onn tried to find a way through, but like times before, there seemed to be no seam to follow, no hole to enter through although the mental feeling he perceived was not that there was something resisting his efforts, but that the emptiness within simply contained no secrets to be discovered.

His mind gave one final attempt at entering then slowly returned back to Earth, returning his eye to their more normal shade as Caliwone snorted again and saying with the air of patience strained beyond their limits, "I don't have time for this. Stay if you want to but I know what's coming."

J'onn shook his head slightly to clear out the last of the mental images. "I sense no change within the asteroid. Once again, my findings are inconclusive."

"I see," Superman said. "But there is obviously something going on inside that asteroid. Bits of rock do not go shooting off across planets like that by accident."

"I have to agree with Caliwone on this," Shayera said, stepping over toward Caliwone's side. "I just have this feeling in my gut like I use to get on Thanagar before the Gordanians attacked."

"Shayera," John growled, obviously irritated that she would take Caliwone's side over his.

"Think about it," Shayera urged. "If there are aliens inside that thing, why sit there, masking its communications from us for this long?"

"Maybe they're shy," John suggested. "All I know is that yes, they haven't come out and said anything to us, but they also haven't attacked in that same amount of time."

"No one is asking you to come along," Caliwone said. "Why don't you just go baby sit your seedling and leave the real warriors to do their job?" With that, Caliwone strode out of command, allowing Shayera only enough time to give John a very apologetic look and follow Caliwone.

"What was all that about?" Superman wondered aloud, referring to Caliwone's rather vehement comments to the Green Lantern.

"He is eager for the battle," J'onn said. "He is a Saiyan and that is what Saiyan's do best above all else."

"But you said you couldn't sense anything aboard that asteroid," John said. "So what is he getting excited over?"

"I said my readings were inconclusive," J'onn corrected evenly. "In this instance, I would prefer to err on the side of caution and ready ourselves in case Caliwone is correct."

Caliwone glanced backwards as he flew across night sky, his blue aura leaving a tailing streak behind him as Shayera struggled to keep up with the Saiyan's speed. Idly, Caliwone considered increasing his speed and leaving the Thanagarian behind, allowing himself the first crack at the alien. After all, the last to battle was neither lucky nor worthy.

"Hurry up," Caliwone shouted back, at least not willing to make things easy for the slowpoke.

"Sorry for not flying half way across the planet fast enough for you," Shayera shouted back, lifting her arm up to help shield her eyes from the wind. Even so, the wind cut like daggers at the speed they were flying.

"Hopeless."

"Hey, shut it," Shayera hollered back. "It's not my fault you were so impatient that you wanted to rush off and not wait for a Javelin."

"Why don't you put all that talking energy into flying faster?" Caliwone retorted.

Shayera sent a dirty look his way but did her best to pick up the pace. She had seen him many times fly into battle, always wanting to be the first to face any threat. It was a familiar feeling that she had once shared and still understood it. It was pride and his Saiyan blood that drove him hard into battle like a drug. Fighting is what Saiyans did and they were the best at it.

By this time, the two warriors had made it near the southwestern end of Canada and Shayera called a halt to the flight. With only moderate whining from Caliwone, the two glided down to the Canadian shores and the cool Pacific winds blowing off the ocean.

Shayera folded her arms together and shivered slightly, her large wings ruffling slightly with a chill as the cool night breeze passed by. Caliwone in contrast stood near the beachfront unaffected by the cool wind, his hair waving slightly as he looked toward the half moon in the partly cloudy sky.

Brushing a hair aside, Shayera walked over to Caliwone and looked up to the night sky as well, wondering what it was about the moon that had always captivated Caliwone's interest. "Asia is a very far flight," Shayera said. "Especially over the ocean. We would be smart to wait for a Javelin. Besides, John should have found someone to watch Rex by now and is sure to be heading this way soon."

"Your son," Caliwone said. "How old is he now?"

"Three months," Shayera said. "And he's crawling all on his own already."

"I see," Caliwone said. "How many battles has he won?"

Shayera looked over at Caliwone in surprise. "You are kidding, right? He isn't a Saiyan, you know. Speaking of which, have you made up with Kitty? Any little Caliwone's in our future?" she asked with a smile and a wink.

Caliwone continued looking moon-ward showing no sign of amusement and let out a sigh that seemed so lonely. "Hardly," he said dryly. "You wait for your ship. I will continue on from here." Lifting off from the ground, Caliwone burst off in a blue flash.

Shayera sighed. One of these days, Caliwone would learn that he wasn't as alone as he thought he was.

Green Arrow heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his blonde hair as he stood in front of the Xavier Institute. "I swear they don't like me."

"Who?" Dinah asked as she looked back to where Ollie had stopped.

"The League," he answered, "Always giving me these kinds of missions."

"What happened to helping out the little guy?" Black Canary teased.

"What about the little guy?" Arrow responded. "I do everything I can when I am not with the League or spending my time with you."

"Which, I noticed, is becoming less and less," Dinah jabbed lightly. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Ollie said quickly. "It's just that lately I've been working with Queen Industries-"

"I thought you sold that company," Dinah asked with a cocked eye. "You remember, 'Gone and forgotten'?"

Ollie shrugged helplessly. "What can I say? When you're good at something, you're good."

"Uh-huh," Dinah said with a wink to show she was kidding. "Anyway, focus on the task at hand here, soldier."

"You know, it occurred to me that I do not want to talk to this guy," Ollie said, catching up with Dinah and slipping a hand around her waist. "Not sure I want a psychic knowing what I am thinking about right now."

Dinah gave him a sly grin over her shoulder. "Come on, old man. Let's go."

"Old man?" Ollie asked, feigning hurt feelings, "That hurts, Dinah. So I guess that makes you an old lady." She slugged him in the arm and he didn't have to feign _that _hurt feeling.

The two League members came to a halt outside the large metal gates that guarded the impressive mansion that the former X-Men had once called home. Buried into the brick on the left side, a small intercom sat innocently with a green button to call into the mansion and have the gates opened. Before Dinah had a chance to reach out and press it, the gates swung open to allow them entry.

"See," Ollie said, indicating the opened gate and the mansion. "Telepathy."

"Get a grip, Ollie," Dinah said. "I bet he is just like J'onn in that he doesn't invade minds of others unless he has to or has permission. Besides, the League supports this place and even Caliwone spent a lot of time here."

"Good for him," Ollie said, his tone a little sour; whether Superman liked Caliwone or not, he still didn't trust the Saiyan.

The two made their way to the mansion, walking along the cemented drive and around the angel water statue in the center around past the stretch of garages. Through the opened garage, a man walked out, wiping his grease covered hands with a mechanics cloth. "Anything we can do for ya, bub?" he asked, his eyes sharp and he measured the two Leaguers up.

"Yes," Dinah said. "My name is Black Canary and this is Green Arrow. We're here to see Charles Xavier. We are from the Justice League."

The man sniffed slightly like an animal trying to sense fear or deception. "Alright," he said, tossing the towel aside and extending a hand. "The name's Logan."

Ollie looked down at the still greasy hand a moment before reluctantly accepting the handshake. Without warning, Logan gripped Ollie's hand harder and with a flash of reflected light, extended his three claws.

"HOLY MOTHER OF-" Ollie swore jerking back away from the mutant but Logan's grip didn't allow him to get far.

Dinah watched in silence for a moment before resting a hand on Logan's arm calmly. "I promise we are who we say we are," she said as innocently as she could muster. "Please stop giving my husband any more heart attacks. He's frail enough as it is."

_Logan, stop it,_ a voice in their mind that could only be the famous Charles Xavier. _Please escort our guest up to my office. I have been expecting them for several days now._

"Yeah, yeah, alright Chuck," Logan said, retracting his blades and brushing past the Leaguers. "Come on. I haven't got all day."

"I apologize for Logan's somewhat rude welcome," Xavier said as Ollie and Dinah took their seats in front of the expensive looking wooden desk. "Lately, he has developed a somewhat over protective nature regarding the Institute. I hope you understand."

"Sure, no problem," Ollie said, sending a glare back at where Logan had taken up leaning on the book shelf, directly between them and the door. "You have any coffee?"

"Of course," Xavier said, nodding toward Logan. "If you would be so kind, Logan?" Logan stood with a muted growl and headed for the kitchen.

"With extra sugar," Ollie added after him.

"So, I assume you are here to make use of Cerebro?" Charles asked without preamble.

"Yes," Ollie said, turning his attention away from his anger with Logan and focusing his attention on Charles. "J'onn can't get any readings off of the asteroid on his own and we were hoping that you could give it a shot."

"What is it the League is expecting to find?" Charles asked, leaning forward in his wheel chair and resting his elbows on the desk. "I have seen the news reports about some object being jettisoned out of the asteroid."

"Yes, there were three objects," Dinah said, ignoring Ollie's subtle disapproval. "One was heading toward Europe, one toward northern Asia, and one here in the United States somewhere. There is no way that this was an accident or a freak of nature."

"So an alien ship," Charles said thoughtfully. "What about the scientists? Have they found anything?"

"No," Ollie said, giving up. "As far as they know, it is just an asteroid, at least before those three whatevers shot out of it. Batman, on the other hand, has been tracking communications hidden inside our own communications network. Not just the United States, but Russia, China, everyone."

"Interesting," Charles said as Logan walked back in the room carrying coffee on a saucer for Green Arrow. "I guess that you have all come to the obvious conclusion. Now the question is, are they friendly or not?"

"That's why we need your help," Dinah explained.

"Could you lend us a hand?" Ollie asked, taking a sip from his coffee and nearly coughed as the sweetness of the coffee nearly choked him. "Come on," Ollie snarled as Logan shot him a twisted smirk.

"Why don't we cool our heads for a little while," Charles said, purposely rolling around the end of his desk. "Cerebro is down this way. Please follow me."

Setting his sugar-coffee down on the desk, Green Arrow and Dinah stood and followed. Exchanging a cold glare with each other, Logan followed Green Arrow out into the hall. The halls where deserted, a far cry from what Superman had described as a bustling ant farm of mutant kids, even for this time of night.

"Where are all the kids?" Dinah asked as if reading his mind.

"Rogue and Gambit are in the Danger room and Storm is tending to her gardens at the moment," Charles said. "Most of the other X-Men are off on their own now."

"Ah," Ollie said. "A little falling out?" Behind Arrow, he could hear Logan growl softly.

"More a parting of ways," Xavier said. They turned one final corner and Charles called for the elevator. "Unfortunately, not everyone can spend their time here. They have their own lives to live and passions to follow. There is nothing wrong with that, especially with all the events in the last years."

The elevator opened and the four got inside. With a ping, the doors closed and they headed to the subbasement. "So nobody stayed?" Dinah asked.

"Rogue is still here," Logan said. "And Ororo. Hank is off somewhere doing research but he'll be back."

"And Kitty is still off with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Charles said. "Many have taken Magneto's offer and joined him on Genosha."

"I had almost forgotten about that," Dinah said. "A gift from the government for that whole Sentinel thing last year, right?"

"More or less," Logan said as the left the elevator and made their way to Cerebro. "It was kind of a way to pacify mutants and get them out of the country at the same time."

"Sounds like a deal the government would pull." Ollie said. "So tell me why you guys don't like it."

"Why would we not like Magneto having his own island that the government can't keep an eye on?" Logan said sarcastically. "As long as Magneto stays peaceful, there ain't any problems."

"Anyway, here we are," Xavier said. The door they now stood in front of looked as though it belonged in a high security vault with a giant 'X' cutting across it. The door slid open and the four walked into Cerebro. The room itself was nothing more than a giant sphere with a bridge that lead from the door out to what had to be the exact middle of the sphere. "I cannot guarantee anything," Xavier said. "Cerebro was designed to locate mutants, not aliens. I can barely find Caliwone and only when he is close by."

"All we need is a try," Ollie said.

Charles nodded and put on the helmet. "Very well. Whatever you do and no matter what you see, stay very still."

Without waiting for a nod, Xavier reached out with his mind. Like something out of science fiction, the room itself seemed to shift, growing in size until it seemed the four of them were in the center of the universe. Lights appeared, gradually coalescing into the shape of continents in brilliant gold's and purples.

The view point changed as Charles tried to focus his attention to the asteroid hanging over Canada but unlike real life, the space above Canada was empty. The workers and scientists examining the asteroid had all been pulled back due to current events and the nightfall that made examining the asteroid extremely dangerous.

"I don't sense any minds," Charles said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "There does not appear to be anything with in the asteroid that I can sense."

"What is that," Arrow asked softly, nearly forgetting that he wasn't supposed to move and pointing.

"Where?" Xavier asked. "Allow me to see." Ollie gave a shiver as he felt another mind brush against his, careful not to touch anything other than his eyes. Suddenly, Cerebro focused in on the nearly black pinpoint Ollie had seen.

"I can sense a mind there," Xavier said. "It is not human. I can sense some stirring emotions but with nothing to base them on, I cannot say if they are peaceful or violent, or even happy."

"Keep trying," Dinah insisted, nearly stepping forward as well. "We need to know as much as we can."

Charles nodded and continued to push forward. Another pinprick appeared near the first, and then several more. Charles grunted softly as he continued to strain his mind on the aliens until with a gasp, Charles rocked back in his wheel chair.

"Chuck?" Logan asked concernedly as the room around them snapped back to the spherical room. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Logan, I am fine," Charles said, rubbing his eyes. "It is just that those minds where so alien, more so than even Caliwone's. Whatever the emotion is they are all feeling, it is powerful."

"So what is your theory, Professor," Dinah asked.

"I do not know," Charles said. "Let's hope Caliwone can find something more substantial."

Caliwone slid to a halt in the air and looked around. The area in which he found himself was a place of absolute green; much like the place where he had trained in Genkai's forest, although less filled with the kind of life that had existed there. Demons, for whatever reasons, seemed not to inhabit this area.

Caliwone smirked slightly, remembering that Yusuke and Ichigo lived on this side of the planet. He would have to make a point to drop in on them and see if they had gotten any stronger. In the meantime, his focus was to find that alien space pod and prove that his fighter's intuition was correct after all.

He looked to his left and then to his right. There was no sign of it in all of this place. If Shayera and the Justice League of hers where at all accurate, it should have landed somewhere near here but there was not broken tree in the bunch that would indicate a crash landing similar to Saiyan style, nor was there any indication from animal life. Even as he watched, one animal emerged from the trees near a river and shortly thereafter became an evening dinner for a predator animal.

Everything seemed too calm for an alien landing. Snorting to himself as if this confirmed that the pod was piloted by a living being, he turned to his left and renewed his search for the pod and the alien it contained.

To be continued…

It seems as though Xavier was able to find the first solid clue of alien intelligence. What does this mean for our heroes? I hope all of you guys are ready for the story to get intense! Next time of Dragon Sagas!

Thanks my friend Kobez2.0!


	5. Chapter 04 Special: In the Making

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

**Thank you guys for being such loyal viewers (readers?)**

******Chapter 04.5: In the Making******

**Special**

In the black skies above Metropolis, lightning flashed violently, illuminating the world famous Daily Planet and a figure standing with crossed arms on top looking down upon the dazzling city below, filled with brilliant lights and the innocent people of Earth going about their daily lives.

A scream broke the tranquility of the metropolis just as an enormous thunderclap added an extra exclamation point. The figure didn't hesitate for a moment. As he leapt off the building, his tail unwrapped itself from around his waist as he fell, nimbly angling himself to drop down into the troublesome ally.

Three men stood surrounding a young woman. Two where brandishing knives, one a tire iron. The woman gave another petrified scream and tried to run but one of the men grabbed her by one arm.

That's when Caliwone landed on the scene. "HahahaHA! Do not fear, citizen," Caliwone said with a wink to the woman. "I will handle these three flunkies." Lightning flashed again with a thunderous roll of thunder following quickly behind.

"Come and get it, you alien freak," the man in the center said.

Caliwone smiled and lifted a hand, beckoning his foes forward. "I will beat you into small pieces." They stood in silence for a minute, then another roll of thunder broke the silence.

"CUT!" the director yelled through his megaphone. "Come on people, get it together. What happened with the thunder? It was supposed to be fifteen seconds earlier."

"Sorry director," the sound stage lead shouted back. "The button got stuck. Trying to fix it now."

The director slapped a hand to his forehead. "How long until you gets it back working?"

"Not sure," the lead said. "Not looking good."

"Fine," the director growled. "On to the next scene. This one is will involve Superman so let's make sure to get it right."

"Sir, our Superman isn't quite ready yet," the director's assistant said from beside him. "We weren't expecting to need him this soon."

"Get him ready," the director yelled. "We're paying him about a bazillion dollars for this roll, he better be ready in ten!"

"Yes, sir." His assistant hurried off toward the trailers to relay his message of urgency and the director's impatience.

"Alright crew, let's move to set E."

With a sudden flurry of movement, all the workers picked up their props and equipment and bustled over to set E. Minutes later, Superman showed up on set, giving one last tug on his blue suit. With the wig and fake muscles that the suit afforded, he did really look like the real Man of Steel, just much shorter. That's where the magic of technology would come in later.

"Alright, I'm here," the actor said, striking a quick pose. "Superman is on the scene."

"Great," the director said. "How about we start shooting now? The scene is 'Caliwone and Superman meet after a long time of working on separate sides of the world before going into the final battle together'. We start with a handshake. ACTION!"

Superman walked over to where Caliwone stood, hands on his hips. "Hey, Caliwone. Long time no see."

"How are you, Superman," Caliwone said, smiling and lifting his hand to shake the other. "I am glad to see you. I could really use your help on this one."

From behind the director, his assistant leaned over and whispered to him. "Sir, I really don't think this is the kind of relationship those two have. From everything I read, Caliwone is much more of a recluse and considers Superman more of a rival than a friend."

"Hey, come here a sec," the director said, taking his attention off of his movie for a moment. His assistant leaned a little closer. "This is MY movie and I know what is best, got it?" he said, whacking his assistant in the head. "Now do something useful and grab me a soda-pop. Cherry."

Holding his head, the assistant teetered off.

"Let's go get them, old chum," Superman said. "Follow me."

The two actors hopped into the air, supported by two wires a piece. The green screen behind them would later project the two flying quickly over a beautiful landscape that the director himself had chosen. Without any warning, the loud sound of thunder cracked from three sets over.

"CUT!" the director shouted again through his megaphone and sighed as he did so.

"We got it working," the sound lead shouted from the other stage.

"Let's run it again," the director said. "We're going to be here for a while."

From behind the set and in the shadows, Batman set down his binoculars as Superman hovered in the air next to him speechless as the production continued.

"Wow," Batman said, dry and disbelieving.

"No kidding," Superman said. "I'm just glad Caliwone hasn't seen this yet. He would probably blow this whole place to atoms."

Batman didn't say anything, simply turned and headed for his new hover Batmobile. "I thought you were headed somewhere else," he said as he got in through the upper hatch.

"Same to you," Superman said with a smile. "Let's get going. We have more important things we need to be doing. This whole asteroid and everything." Without so much as a grunt, Batman lowered the canopy to his vehicle and fired up the engines. Superman gave a light solute as Batman headed east to Europe and Superman flew off to the south.

To be continued...

LOL

Like always guys, this is just a little breaker from the main story. Feel free to review!


	6. Chapter 05: The First Wave

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 05: The First Wave******

Helena Noventa hovered quietly in the skies of the setting sun over Europe and looked down on the silent city beneath her. The graffiti that had been sprayed across the buildings and broken glass had all been repaired after the chaos of the asteroids arrival. It was amazing what a little paint and a few thousand dollars of government funds could accomplish.

It wasn't like she was this town's protector or anything. In all honesty, she had never been one of those girls who had been obsessed with the romance of Europe or the love capital of the world. Gondola's and French or Italian men had never tugged at her interest. Give her a spot on Miami Beach or a trip to Tokyo and she would take that over Paris any day.

What had attracted her attention about this particular area was the complete silence. At this hour on a Friday night, when evening is preparing to give way to night, the streets should have been crawling with people embarking on journeys of debauchery and drunken partying. But there was nothing; no birdsong, no chorus of happy children. Not even sounds of insects broke the eerie calm.

She gave another careful look then dropped down to the town below. From the street level, nothing seemed to be any different. Lights were still on in several of the businesses, but no patrons sat in the dinners. This place was no better than a ghost town. But why?

She turned down one of the side streets, hoping there would be some clue as to the mass exodus but none presented itself. A shiver crawled down her back as the shear lack of reason started to get to her. Even blood smears would have been more comforting then the overwhelming _nothing. _It was like these people had simply been plucked out of existence, leaving only lifelike manikin dolls visible in department store windows.

She frowned, noticing as she walked that it was not only department stores that seemed overly interested in manikins. Maybe here in Europe, manikins were some sort of stylalized art form. If that was the case, they would be showing up in the U.S. soon enough. Everyone knew that United States style starts in Europe.

Her meandering investigation eventually led her to a vacant square, the only feature being a huge fountain situated right in the center; the geyser of water arcing elegantly above a two-headed statue of an angelic demon. Something was wrong with this scene, she just didn't know why. She turned a sharp, warrior's eye toward the statue as she slowly circled the oddity. She would scrutinize until she knew the source of this sense of foreboding. That was when one of the heads moved.

Helena leapt backwards as the creature crawled down off the statue and through the spouting water. It crawled on four long legs that looked more like spears than anything else with two toes on each foot. Attached to its waist, an almost human upper body rose but its muscle composition was arranged very differently than a human.

From its shoulders, two long, multi-jointed arms reached all the way down to the ground with four giant fingers on each. Despite the frail look of such long arms, Helena could see wire like muscles flexing as it moved away from the statue and into more solid lighting.

The head that sat on a very short neck was a face out of a nightmare. Two beady eyes looked at her from the horrible face. It looked like a skull with a thin layer of muscle covering it like skin. There was no nose that could be seen but a large ridge took its place that stretched all the way down to its exposed teeth and jaw. Its teeth where wickedly curved and sharp, just like the long spikes that swept from its upper forehead back along its bald head. Despite its fierce appearance, the entire creature stood maybe just above her waist.

The creature cocked its head slightly as Helena retreated back another step from its repulsive smell. Before she could take another, the alien spoke. It was hard to understand at first, the speech covered with odd clicks and whistles. It was strange, Helena noted as she strained to catch what the creature was saying, but the words were English if not the greatest grammar.

"You are yet not another weakling alien," it said, tilting its head at a slightly painful looking angle. "You are to die now."

"Is that right?" Helena asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Why is that? What is it you want from us?"

"Death," the alien hissed. "Masters orders."

Helena grimaced. Masters? So where these not the real deal? Slaves or underlings? She shifted her foot back as she settled into her natural fighting stance. This was an unknown enemy with unknown abilities. Who knows what could happen here.

Rather than waiting for the alien, Helena struck first, firing a bolt of energy at the creature and leapt into the air. With one sweeping gesture from one of its long arms and the blast was deflected sideways and into a restaurant. With explosive force, the building erupted violently, casting a vivid shadow across the aliens face.

Helena hung in the air for a moment more before landing lightly atop the tallest of the buildings. She didn't have a chance to wait there long. With another sweeping gesture from the alien, Helena leapt away from it as the building split down the center and crashed to the ground with a thunderous crash.

She gritted her teeth, her eyes locking onto the alien. She hadn't sensed the attack at all which meant she had lost one advantage. Hell, she hadn't even _seen_ it. She would have to keep a close eye out, but first she needed a change of scenery.

She fired of another salvo that were again deflected without apparent effort, then streaked away from the town in a white blur before coming to a halt on the ground many miles away in a deserted rocky field. The alien was nowhere to be seen along the burning horizon of the nearly set sun. Either this thing was up to something or it wasn't very athletic.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the alien appeared on the edge of Helena's chosen battlefield. Obviously, the athletic assessment had been the correct one.

She leapt forward in a burst of white light then changed her angle abruptly. As fast as she was moving and the apparent lack of athleticism of her opponent, she was confident that it could not follow her movements. Angling herself to come in from behind the alien, she swept in close and cocked back a fist.

Before she could reach it, there was a stabbing pain across her right shoulder and she broke off her attack. She looked down at her right arm briefly, wincing in pain as she saw the blood running down her arm and the gash that had suddenly appeared across her shoulder.

The spikes on the aliens head quivered slightly and it turned its head to look over at her. Lifting one of its long arms, it sent a sweeping motion toward her. Helena dodged as the ground split where she had been and fired another blast of energy that was deflected off course before it reached its target.

So, ranged energy attacks didn't work on this thing and it was almost impossible for her to in close. Apart from its invisible attacks, she really had no idea what other capabilities this thing had. If it was psychic, that would explain how it had followed her movements on her rush, and if that was the case, she just needed to be unpredictable, even to herself.

Leaping forward again, Helena raced forward, weaving and dodging blindly without thinking, doing her best to keep her mind clear like Slade had taught her to do when dealing with this kind of ability. At this point, it was just a guess but judging by the lack of attacks landing on her, she felt safe in assuming that this was the case.

She changed direction again without thinking, then moved in for the kill. The spikes on the alien's head quivered once and it turned its head to look directly at her and lifted an arm. Helena immediately rocketed skyward and lifted her hands. Crimson energy surrounded them, both for a moment before joining together above her head as Helena reached back and through the dark red blast downward.

The blast exploded, shrouding the area with dark smoke and red tinged rubble. She hovered in the air, knowing that the battle wasn't over but wanting to see if there had been any damage done to the invader. Electricity arced across the cloud once, parting the smoke and dust gently.

"Alright," Helena breathed out. "Let's try this again." Her green eyes glowed lightly as they changed to blue, her shocking red hair transforming to golden blonde. She breathed out again, calming herself. As a Super Saiyan, her strength and speed increased dramatically. Perhaps that will be enough to overcome this invaders strange powers.

The alien walked its dilapidated looking walk out of the smoke and looked up at her, its arms hanging apishly in front of it as it walked up the edge of the crater Helena had created. Without so much as a scratch on it, it was obvious that its defensive abilities were indeed superb. Time to see just where the breaking point was.

"Any sign of the meteor yet," Batman asked over the comm. as he flew in tandem with Diana and Wally in their own Javelin through the burning sky of the setting sun.

"Not yet," Wally replied. "This is kind of like finding a needle in a world sized haystack, you know?"

"Keep searching." Bruce turned down to his own control panel and flicked on his advanced sensors and angled slightly to the right. He had designed this craft with the most advanced hardware and sensors that the Justice League and Wayne Enterprises Research and Development had to offer. Some of it was still a bit glitchy but the readings he was getting now were simply unbelievable. He took his eyes off his path to get a better look and make sense of what readings he was getting.

Tremors were registering as high as 5.0 on the rictor scale were emitting from more central Europe but the odd part was, it wasn't just a single Earthquake. Wave after wave were flowing, like taking a rock and throwing it into a still lake and watching the ripples spread. Batman shook his head, never having seen anything quite like this but he had felt this before when he was fighting alongside Caliwone. Touching a button, he connected to Metro Tower.

"Metro Tower, do you copy."

"Batman, this is Metro Tower, go ahead," Mr. Terrific's voice came back promptly.

"I am reading major earthquakes in Europe and need an exact location as to where they are coming from."

"I see them," Mr. Terrific said. "Sending you the coordinates."

"Good. Give me satellite imaging of that spot."

"It will take just a few minutes to get a satellite in position," Mr. Terrific said. "Wait, never mind. The G.O.E.S.-8 weather Satellite is not far away, actually."

"Good. Get it done." Batman switched frequency over to Shayera's. "Shayera? Batman."

"What's up?" Shayera responded immediately.

"Where is Caliwone?"

"Uh," Shayera said. "Not sure exactly. He left me behind while I wait for John in a Javelin."

"Was he still headed for Russia?"

"I think so," Shayera said. "Why? What's happening?"

"Either Caliwone is suddenly in Europe or that other Saiyan girl is."

"Oh," Shayera said. "I am pretty sure Caliwone is looking in Russia right now. Helena is probably the one in Europe."

"Got it," Batman said and signed off. Changing channels once more back to Diana and Flash, he filled them in as to what is happening.

His dash pinged at him and a constantly updating still image of the area in question appeared. Touching the screen, he brought up an options menu and mirrored what he was seeing over to the Javelin. The satellite, among the hundreds currently floating around the Earth, was one of the few non military controlled stations with a lens decent enough for Metro Tower's image enhancements could work with currently hovering over Europe and so the quality left much to be desired but what he was able to see was clear enough. Indeed there were two figures, although details and recognition's were impossible to decipher, but the golden glow surrounding one figure made it easy to guess who it could be. The other figure was less recognizable but what was recognizable were the extra legs and the odd way the figure was situated.

"Mr. Terrific," Batman said, patching back in to Metro Tower. "Are you seeing what I am seeing?"

"Yes," Mr. Terrific answered over the sound of clicking keys. "J'onn is trying to get clearer pictures but all seem to be in agreement that this is our first alien encounter from the asteroid."

"Ew," Flash cut in. "I looks like a spider!"

"Is that Caliwone?" Diana cut Flash off.

"We can't tell," Mr. Terrific said. "We might be able to if we can get better enhancements."

"We'll be there in less than twenty minutes," Batman said. "Work fast."

Helena slid on her feet across the ground, then leapt aside as the ground erupted from the aliens strange power, then bounced in a second direction before firing a counter blast that, like all the rest, was deflected harmlessly away. Moving quickly, Helena launched another assault, the effectiveness equal to her several other attempts but she kept at it. Swinging to the other side of the alien, she swung a chop and a kick, both deflected with the same invisible shielding that worked as some sort of perfect defense. The alien may not be physically talented, but it didn't really need to be if its defenses were so good.

The alien followed her movements with strange precision, not letting her rest as it forced her to move again or die. She ground her teeth in frustration. There was no way around it that she could see that could get through its defense. Nothing to do but continuing battering the defenses until a weakness could be found was Slade's philosophy when entrenched in a battle.

She ducked to the ground, then threw her body sideways that saved her from accepting the split in the ground that the attack caused. Sliding to a fast halt then throwing herself up, back flipping away as the alien lifted a hand and seemed to try a different attack.

She changed direction in mid flight, alert as to the nature of the new attack. Her movement was too quick for the alien to alter its attack and it lanced outward, remaining as invisible as the previous attacks but as the effect of the attack hit a stone outcropping, something very unique happened. The stone started to blow apart but halted a split second later, looking as though it had been frozen in time, then seemed to liquefy without moving and then become solid again looking as though it was almost plastic. So that is what had happened to all those people. They were not manikins after all.

She dropped back for distance, wishing she was the genius that Caliwone claimed to be. He would find a weakness in this things armor and strange attacks for sure. An angle or blind spot that this alien had. But, as it was, she was not Caliwone. Not completely.

She pushed off against the rock wall she had flown over to and dodged a few more invisible blasts. All of a sudden, her mind clicked. If this alien could really sense her exact location all the time, there was no way it could be missing her. Those spikes on its head must have something to do with feeling the vibrations of her movements or something similar. If that was the case, then the slower she moved, the more hidden she would be.

Helena took a deep breath and vanished from the alien's sight, this time appearing behind stone cover. The alien's spikes quivered but judging by the way the alien was searching with its eyes, she assumed a safe bet that her sudden theory was correct. Now for the dangerous part. The alien had already proven that it did not need to see her physically in order to defend against her which meant that one false move could mean sudden pain accompanied very swiftly by sudden death.

Helena peeked around the corner of her hiding spot. The aliens search was now taking its eyes in the opposite direction and Helena took one final breath. Tip toeing silently across the distance between them, Helena raised a hand ready to strike. She was nearly on top of the alien when there was a sudden roaring sound from high over head and behind Helena and the alien turned to look.

Helena felt a chill run through her as the alien looked down and caught sight of her but instead of freezing, she leapt forward and caught the alien around the neck. She felt it struggle as it tried to force a barrier between the two, then felt herself being jerked back as pain flashed through her side but she held on and with a hard jerk, twisted.

The alien jerked once then fell limp and Helena let go. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath she hadn't known she was holding but ended in a pained squeak. She looked down and finally got a good look at the damage the alien had managed to inflict. Blood poured from her left side to splatter down into a pool at her feet but like Caliwone himself, the pain began to subside after only a few moments.

She turned and hobbled over to a nearby rock and took a seat where she could start recovering from the battle and glared at the two vehicles as they came to a landing not far away. Out of the smaller black vehicle, the infamous Dark Knight jumped out and stalked over to the dead alien without a word to Helena and knelt down to examine it. From the other shuttle, a red streak dashed out from the boarding ramp and ran over to Batman but came to an abrupt halt as he saw the blood Helena had spilt.

"Ugh!" Flash said, peering down into the red pool. "Gross."

"I know, right?" Helena said, holding her right hand across her left side. "Doesn't hurt too bad, though."

Flash looked over to where Helena sat, her red hair a little disheveled but otherwise hanging loosely across her shoulders. A smile creased her features and he dashed over to lean casually on the rock next to her. Helena watched him with an amused smile as Flash ran his free hand over the top of his slick red suit that covered his hair.

"Hello, there," Flash said. "It's nice to meet you. You can call me the Flash, the fastest man alive."

Helena's smile grew a bit warmer and she raised her right hand to shake his. "Helena. It's a pleasure to meet the famous Flash." Flash lifted his own hand to shake hands but stopped as he caught sight of the blood dripping from her hand and side.

"Oh my gosh!" Flash yelped. "Are you alright?"

Helena winced slightly as she replaced her right hand over her wound. "I'm fine. No big deal."

"Of course she is," Diana said as she walked over to the two. "She is a warrior like the women on Themyscira."

"We'll get her medical attention in Metro Tower," Batman said, standing from his examination of the dead alien. "Right now we need to get this back for a thorough examination." He turned cold eyes onto Helena. "And also, we need to get your story about what happened here from you."

"Yeah, about that," Helena said. "I think I am going to pass for now. I need to figure out how Caliwone is fairing first."

"You can figure that out from Metro Tower."

"Thanks for the offer," Helena said. "I may take you up on that later."

Batman gritted his teeth, about to insist but there was a sudden beep from inside his mask. "What?" Batman asked. He paused for a moment as Mr. Terrific or J'onn relayed information over to him. "On our way. Just make sure that Shayera and Caliwone get back to Metro Tower as soon as they can." He glanced over to look at Helena sitting on her rock. "And make sure they bring Noventa back with them."

"Right," Helena said, looking toward the horizon that had just swallowed the setting sun and flicked the hair over her shoulder. "I'll get right on that."

Diana followed Flash and Batman with the alien corpse held in one arm back to the ships leaving Helena on her rock and the two ships lifted off and headed back to Metropolis. Helena watched them disappear then closed her eyes, struggling to find Caliwone's Saiyan energy. On the other side of the planet, she could barely sense the traces of Saiyan energy. She gritted her teeth, wondering how Caliwone would do against these hostile aliens. She set her mind to track him down, intent on making sure to keep a hawk like eye on him. Deep in her stomach she knew that if Caliwone died, humanity would surely follow.

To be continued...

There we have it. The aliens are obviously hostile and aparently, very strong. Will Caliwone have as hard a time as Helena? And as to the dead alien, what secrets will it reveal?

Stay tuned!

A fan of many works:

I am over joyed that you like my work and thank you so much for your kind words. It is for the people like you that I continue to write.

Doumo arigatou gozaimashita

Muchos gracias

Thank you very much


	7. Chapter 06: In the Heart

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach and Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 06: In the Heart******

Caliwone scowled and let out an angry snarl as an icy wind blew past, ruffling the black hair of the dark warrior. His eyes surveyed the landscape beneath him, searching the spot-lit Russian countryside for his quarry. He sensed nothing of any significant interest around him, all the same low level trash that he had lived among, recluse though he had been, since leaving Xavier's Institute.

His hawk like eyes swept towards a city, glowing with morning light, in the relative near distance; probably several hundred miles to the northwest. In the space between him and the city, there was nothing but snow covered mountains and rather unattractive valleys. Of course, he thought most of this planet was an unattractive mess of overpopulated technology and ruined jungles and forests.

With a snort of disgust, Caliwone crouched in the air and prepared himself to launch himself toward the city but something caught his eye. It was a small thing really, almost not even worth noting but his mind was on such high alert that the racing of a rodent in an open area would have grabbed his attention. This was a hair more obvious as in the sudden swaying of a tree in the opposite direction of the chill gusts.

He lowered himself down into the great expanse, his eyes and ears searching in every direction. He didn't really know what it was he was looking for, but only a fool would miss a pair of yellow, intelligent eyes following him from behind the brush. Without hesitating, Caliwone fired a blast that elicited a screech from the creature and a truly ugly thing leapt out to face him.

Caliwone smiled as he got his first look at the alien. It had four long spider-like legs with two humanoid arms that hung nearly to the ground from its upper torso and a face straight out of a humans dream and sweeping spikes back across the top of its head that gave it a somewhat evil feel. With the absence of a human like nose, only small slits under its eyes, this creature did not looked as menacing as many Caliwone had faced long ago when the Saiyan race still existed. This creature gave Caliwone no fear.

"Well," Caliwone said with an arrogant smirk. "Hello there. Welcome to Earth." The creature said nothing, although its separate jaws twitched and worked as if it was longing to chew on Caliwone's corpse. Like that would ever happen.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Caliwone asked, slowing stepping to his left and beginning to circle the creature. "That's OK. If I were that ugly, I wouldn't want anyone else listening to me either. Besides, pretty soon it won't matter, you'll be just a hideous memory in the collective mind of the universe."

The creature still watched without words, although it did begin to move counter to Caliwone, keeping its distance and Caliwone in front of itself. The creature began to make small clicking noises as if it was talking to itself it its own language as it watched Caliwone's movements closely.

"So," Caliwone said as they both reached the half way mark around their circle, "are we going to dance or fight?" Caliwone lost his arrogant smirk in place for a more serious tone. "Why are you on this planet?"

More clicks came from the creature but this time, words could be heard under heavy accent in English. "The world must be made ready for Overlord of Scundass," it said. "Must be cleansed of all threats. Masters orders."

"Well, it seems you can talk," Caliwone said with a smirk, "and I was right; your voice is nearly as ugly as your face. Alright you disgusting creature, answer me this: Why Earth?"

"Not know," it said and came to a halt. "Following orders."

Caliwone came to a halt as well, ready for the battle to actually start. "So your masters have their eyes set to Earth and you are just the slave that has been ordered to clean house. Are they afraid to come out and face this planet on their own accord?"

"Not your worry," the creature said.

In the soft ground, Caliwone could see the alien dig in with all four feet, the tips of its needle-like appendages sinking deep into the Earth, taking its stance. Caliwone struck, leaping forward and swinging his booted right foot in a devastating round house that connected with... something. It was like kicking an invisible wall a foot from the base of the creature's skull.

Caliwone drifted away from the alien in order to analyze what had just happened but before he could even get his feet on the ground, pain lanced through Caliwone's side and blood spewed outward as if some invisible javelin had cut into him.

Pain lanced through his side, blood spewed and his instincts threw his body aside as another invisible javelin carved through the air next to him. Caliwone landed as the alien put a halt to the aggression for the time.

"Well done," Caliwone said through gritted teeth as he familiarized himself with the injury he had just sustained. "I didn't even see it coming." The alien said nothing, simply turned to face Caliwone once more, the spikes that arched over the creatures head quivering slightly as if reacting to the vibrations in the air. "Tell me, what are you called?"

The alien cocked its head just slightly as if trying to understand a particularly hard math problem. "No names. Race called Hindriskei."

"Hindriskei?" Caliwone asked. "Well, that is a surprise alright. Back in my day your race was a truly remarkable race with the potential to be truly vicious warriors, second maybe to Saiyan's. Nice to see something familiar after all this time."

"Very few remain," the alien said, suddenly sounding a bit more talkative. "Race all gone. Drifters now."

"Ha, too bad," Caliwone said. "I hate sending a dying race another body to bury." Caliwone planted his feet and allowed his anger to trigger the transformation into his Super Saiyan state. Caliwone could see the Hindriskei's stance change into a more aggressive one but it was too late. Caliwone was already in motion, moving behind the creature and drilling a kick into another shielded defense. Not being deterred, Caliwone moved quickly and attacked from another angle only to meet by another perfect defense.

Caliwone disappeared high into the sky, outside of the alien's defensive range and fired a blast down at the alien. Before the blast even had a chance to reach it, Caliwone dropped down to the ground, hidden behind the trees and fired his Burst Rush. The two blasts reached the alien at the same time and the light erupted violently, blowing away trees and destroying the beautiful scenery they found themselves in and cleared the area for a good half mile around.

Caliwone smirked to himself, impressed at the defensive capabilities of this alien as the smoke cleared around the alien still centered in the cleared ground, the air shimmering gently around it and keeping the smoke away.

"I see," Caliwone said. "Correct me if I am wrong, but I remember the Hindriskei as a race filled with different clans all with the ability of control the different elements?"

"Long ago," the Hindriskei answered, again turning to put Caliwone directly in front of itself. "History tells of clans before home world was destroyed. Evolved since then but now very few."

"I see," Caliwone said. "Then you must be a Hindriskaney, an air bender. I can tell from your defenses. Well done but air will never stop me." The alien shuffled its feet subtly in response. "I suppose it is of no consequence. Shall we continue?"

Without waiting for an answer, Caliwone leapt forward and smashed against the solid air the Hindriskei erected to protect itself. Dodging to the side to avoid any kind of counter attack, Caliwone cart-wheeled away, firing a blast of energy at the alien. With his left hand planted on the ground to support the dodge, he forced his energy into the ground. The alien blocked the frontal attack but was caught completely unaware by the blast of energy that shot up from underneath it.

Caliwone returned to his feet, a sense of disappointment. As had happened many times in the past, his own battle smarts and the ability to quickly find weaknesses in his opponent had spoiled him another great battle. He only hoped that the aliens still on board the asteroid where stronger opponents than the Hindriskei had been.

Caliwone turned his back to the smoldering corpse and surveyed the devastation with the smallest sense of sadness. He always hated having to destroy such calming nature. He frowned suddenly, becoming aware that his warriors instincts were still alive and in turmoil. He turned to look back at the dead alien and found himself seeing the creature climbing to its feet despite the severity of its injuries.

"Well, you are tougher than you look, Hindriskei," Caliwone said over his shoulder. "I thought sure you had bitten the big one but I guess everyone can be mistaken once in a while."

The alien didn't glare as that was a human expression but the impression itself was still there as its spikes quivered angrily and it raised its arm to point directly at Caliwone.

"Ready for more are we?" Caliwone gloated, turning. "Let's get this over with, then."

In mid taunt, Caliwone suddenly felt coldness permeate his body. It wasn't like the weather had suddenly changed, more like a cold shiver had crept into his soul and decided to stay a while. At first, Caliwone found it unnerving but after a few moments, he began to embrace the feeling as if welcoming it home after having lived without it for many years.

The ground under his feet broke as his Super Saiyan powers flared reflexively against the intrusion of his mind and body then settled as he reclaimed control. He looked back over to the alien as its arm dropped back to the ground, a familiar frown creasing Caliwone's forehead and a chill smile developing across his lips.

"What's this?" Caliwone asked, taking a step toward the creature. "Please, whatever it is, don't stop now."

"You're convictions," it said through the clicks of its own language, "they have reversed against themselves. You will cause no harm."

"Really? Is that a fact?" Caliwone said, taking another step toward the alien. "So the more I care for this stupid planet, the more I will want to destroy it, right? Or the more I want to fight, the deeper into pacifism I sink?"

"Yes," the alien responded, holding its ground as Caliwone continued to approach.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, alien," Caliwone said, now only steps away from the Hindriskei. "I don't care what happens to this pathetic little dust ball enough for your ability to have any significant effect on me. And as for my will to fight, here's a news flash for you. Fighting is in my DNA and no insect looking freak will ever change that about a Saiyan."

Without any restraint, Caliwone swung a fist faster than the alien could react to. Under his gloved fist, Caliwone could feel bone crunching satisfyingly under fist as the alien was lifted off the ground and into the air. Before the alien could travel very far, Caliwone was above it. Grabbing one arm and twisting it behind the creatures own back and placing the forearm of his remaining hand across the back of the aliens neck and rammed it face first into the ground.

The alien screeched in pain as Caliwone pushed himself off of the alien and reached down to pull the still squawking alien up out of the ground by the head spikes. Yellow liquid was secreting from the aliens mouth in ample supply but Caliwone paid it no attention.

"Now be a good dog and tell me more about your masters and I will make this process far less painful for you," Caliwone purred. "Or try and be brave and I break you down bone by shattering bone."

"Prukai," the alien said through its continuing screech. "Must prukai."

"That doesn't sound like cooperation to me," Caliwone said. He lifted the alien higher and with his right fist, punched the creature in the stomach region. The alien's screech rose to higher pitch as Caliwone let go and spun around, hook-kicking the alien into the forest. It crashed through several trees before Caliwone appeared ahead of it and smashed the battered alien into the ground.

Caliwone looked down at the disgraced alien with a look of total disgust on his face. "Feeling more up to answering now, tough guy? Or have I made my point clear to you yet?"

The alien swiped at Caliwone with one arm that sent a slice of air at the Saiyan. Caliwone was expecting such an attempt and moved aside but not before feeling the sudden burning across one cheek that signified a minor cut.

"We that was rude," Caliwone said, smiling viciously. "I guess I need to be more careful; take proper precautions." He knelt down and grabbed hold of the aliens arm. "I know, I will do as the police of this planet do and simply disarm you." With a wicked chuckle at his own joke, Caliwone lifted a foot and brought it crushing down on the aliens elbow joint.

The alien screamed as Caliwone pulled the arm away and looked at it casually. "Ha, I have always been told taking other people's property was a crime. I guess I should give this back to you, shouldn't I?" Caliwone chuckled again and dropped the aliens arm down to land across its chest. "Now tell me why you have come."

The alien didn't have the breath to answer as its screams of pain scaled upward as it looked down at its own arm lying across it until Caliwone lifted a hand. "Hn," he said, his eyes cold and set. "Waste of my time." With that, he silenced the annoyance in a blaze of crimson light.

"Come on, Shayera," John said, bring the Javelin lower as he waited for Shayera to fly aboard. "It's not like we have an alien invasion on the loose or anything."

"I could say the same thing to you," Shayera retorted as she landed on the open hatch and walked to the co-pilot seat. "What took you so long to get here?"

"Had to find someone to watch Rex," John said as he angled the ship away and headed in Caliwone's last known direction. "Was a little worried about leaving him with Vigilante."

Shayera cocked an eyebrow. "You left him with the cowboy?"

"I was in a hurry," John said, shrugging. "It's not like the whole tower is filled with proven heroes or anything."

"Proven heroes, yes" Shayera said, "not babysitters. What makes you think Vigilante knows anything about taking care of children?"

"I had the option of asking Vixen," John said.

Shayera lowered her eyebrow. "Lesser of two evils, then."

"Oh come on, Shayera," John chided softly. "I thought you two had cleared all that dislike up a long time ago."

"We did," Shayera said. "Then you left her and came back to me."

John shook his head. "That's not quite what happened, Shayera."

"Close enough," she said, then pointed out the window in the distance to an unnatural looking clearing in the otherwise dense greenery. "There." John swung the ship around and a minute later had the ship lowering slowly to the ground in the center of the devastation.

"Yeah, this is definitely Caliwone's handy work," John said, looking around at the still smoldering edges of the forest. "Recluse as usual."

"We don't know what happened here," Shayera said. "Besides, Caliwone loves nature like this. He wouldn't destroy it unless he felt it was necessary. And if this is the result of fighting against the alien, then we may be in more trouble than we thought."

John made a non-committal noise and walked over to one section of now bare Earth to look at one patch of overly scorched Earth. "Uh," John said, scrunching his nose at the putrid smell of whatever this was. "Smells disgusting."

"You know what this is, don't you?" Shayera asked, crouching down and holding her nose. "I think this is whatever is left of that alien."

"Great," John said. "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Shayera said, standing and turning her attention outward to the surrounding forest bathed in pre-dawn darkness. "Caliwone?"

John lifted his right hand and his ring flooded the area with a green light as he turned slowly on the spot, searching for the Saiyan. Half way through his circle, his ring wavered as it passed through recently disturbed air. John focused on the trail and followed it off into the far forest edge like a flash light but there was no sign of Caliwone.

"What do you want?" Caliwone asked coldly from behind the two heroes. They spun around to face Caliwone, the Saiyan's face hidden by the back light of the approaching dawn finally breaking through to trees. Shayera gave a shiver, not sure if the reddish glow was due the sunrise or if the glow was reminiscent of the former Saiyans more violent past.

"Caliwone?" Shayera asked. "Are you alright?"

Caliwone didn't answer right away, didn't move. "Leave me be," Caliwone said at last. "I do not have time for you or your pitiful emotions."

Shayera blinked, surprised at how easily he had just managed to arose her anger but managed to force it back. What was wrong with him?

"What happened here?" John asked, gesturing to the smoldering alien corpse.

"Doesn't take a scientist to figure that one out, you half wit," Caliwone snarled. "I killed the alien vermin. Have a problem with that, baldy?"

"Baldy?" John asked. "Who do you think you are?"

Caliwone lifted a hand and let his golden aura flare around him and his eyes hardened coldly but his hand was steady as he aimed it at Green Lantern. Shayera's jaw dropped even as John reflexively put up a shield between them and Caliwone and after a moment, Caliwone threw his arm to the side angrily and turned his back to the two. "Get away from me!"

Shayera hesitated for a moment then walked toward the Saiyan as John lowered the shield. "Caliwone," she said and rested a hand on his shoulder. He twitched but the restraint to pull away was clearly visible. "I will always be here for you. Now tell me what's wrong."

Helena Noventa forced herself tiredly to her feet from the rock she had been resting on and turned her head eastward to where she had been monitoring Caliwone's battle in her mind. His energy had shifted, now very different from the way it had been when she had been reborn through the efforts of Slade. It seemed colder, darker. Had he been forced to transform to Super Saiyan 2, that could explain the sudden change she was sensing but if she had managed to win, Caliwone shouldn't have had to.

She lifted off into the air and headed toward Caliwone, still holding her left side. Whatever had happened, she needed to get to Caliwone and make sure he was alright. There was something about this whole situation that gave her a shiver. If what this alien had said was true, then there was a lot more to this invasion than what met the eye.

Caliwone turned to look up as Helena dropped to the ground near the group, a look of casual concern almost successfully hidden from her face. He gritted his teeth, not really in the mood to deal with more people. He was having a hard enough time dealing with Shayera and John, two of the few people he actually considered friends.

Shayera watched Caliwone closely as Helena came closer, seeing the struggling emotions that Caliwone would normally never dare show. Perhaps these aliens had some sort of special powers of the mind or something. She had never seen Caliwone behave this way.

"What do you want, half-breed?" Caliwone snarled, turning his back to the female Super Saiyan.

"You fought the alien," Helena said darkly. "It talked to you, didn't it?"

"What?" John shouted. "You mean, in its own language right?"

"Yeah, it talked to me," Caliwone snarled. "What's it to you?"

"What a second," John started to say before Shayera elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Mine told me that it had been sent down here by its masters," Helena said, her eyes narrowing. "I got the impression that they were stronger yet."

"Yeah? And?" Caliwone retorted. "This creature was a weakling. Any fool with any talent at all would have managed to defeat that thing. Its masters do not concern me."

"They should," Helena said, subtly rubbing her wounded side. "Look, there is no telling how many of these creatures there are inside that asteroid and if they are even a little bit stronger, we could all be in really big trouble."

"Ha," Caliwone laughed, turning to look over his shoulder at the Saiyan girl. "What a little coward you are. After all the effort you went through fighting me, I would never have thought a little alien invasion would make such a coward out of you. Where is your Saiyan pride?"

"This isn't the time, Caliwone," Helena growled. "We need to work together on this one."

"Hn, not a chance," Caliwone snorted. "I do not need to familiarize myself with the likes of you."

"Caliwone," Shayera warned. "Wait a second."

"No, you wait," Caliwone roared. "I don't care about these stupid aliens or what they want from this stinking planet. All I care about is fighting these stupid aliens, by myself, without being hindered by your pathetic little league or by the impurity of your creation," he said, turning first to John and Shayera then to Helena. "Now get out of my sight before I blast you all."

"Caliwone-" Shayera started to say as she rested a hand on his shoulder. Caliwone snarled and swung an arm around that sent Shayera flying backwards into John's arms.

"You just don't get it, do you," Caliwone said, turning to fully face the group. "I am not going to tell you again. LEAVE ME ALONE!" With a flare of gold tinted energy, Caliwone erupted from the area and off to the east.

Shayera ran a hand through her hair as John set her back on the ground. This was _definitely_ not the Caliwone she knew. "Well," she said, turning to Helena. "I for one would like to discuss this further with you if you have the time and also get your injuries taken care of."

"Yeah, sure," Helena said, sounding a bit as if she was less than excited about the idea.

"Maybe you can let us in on a few things," John said, turning and walking back to the Javelin. "Come on, we'll give you a lift."

Helena exhaled softly as Shayera put one arm around her shoulder and helped Helena over to the ship. "Don't worry about Caliwone," Shayera said. "He must have a lot on his mind right now."

"Or something," Helena agreed. "Besides, I don't worry."

"Good," Shayera said with a smile. "If you guys are right, we are going to need his help."

To be continued...

Whoa! Will Caliwone be alright or will the aliens strange power permanently keep Caliwone the cold warrior he had once been? If so, will the League accept Helena's offer? Will Caliwone allow it?

Stay tuned for updates.

Thanks Kobez2.0! Loved your update to "Blurred Identity"

See ya soon everyone!


	8. Chapter 07: The Final Obstacle

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 07: The Final Obstacle******

The sun quietly broke the restraints of the horizon that held its light at bay, giving birth to the purity that only dawn has ever been able to correctly deliver. The first row of city buildings looked as though fire had spontaneously caught a foot hold there, until the first break passed over and into the center of the Vertical City of Japan and over the figure standing lightly atop the NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building as the clock struck five. Windswept in to blow the figures black hair to the side but Caliwone's reverie remained untainted.

His eyelids didn't even flutter as the sunlight broke across his face but inside it felt as though, very slowly, a great weight was lifting from his shoulders. He stretched out his mind as he searched for the only other presence similar enough to his own on the planet. Despite his personal feelings for the genetic experiment that Noventa was, the words she had spoken on what had remained of his battlefield had been true enough but at the time, he had been too stubborn to admit it. This was not his planet, yet Kal-El and the Earth had taken him in. It was this planets battle to wage, not his alone.

There was a flicker in his mind that indicated the subject he sought had been located near the other side of the planet, a mere minute's flight for him. With one last look at the rising sun, Caliwone hopped off the building and took flight, streaking across the sky in a blaze of violent blue. Mid way through the flight, he knew exactly where Noventa was. Letting go of his concentration, he increased his speed and a few minutes later, landed lightly on the front steps to Metro Tower.

After a few minutes of waiting, Helena came out to the steps alone, a look of complete unsurprise across her face. Her injuries seemed to have been healed well enough for her own Saiyan regenerative powers and the League's own medical equipment to suffice but apparently had not enough time to change out of her blood stained and torn cloths. For a moment, the two Saiyans locked cold eyes, silently daring the other to speak first.

"Understand one thing," Caliwone said, breaking the silent war. "I do not need assistance in dealing with this threat, especially not from the likes of you. We both already know who the stronger fighter is here and when it comes to battle, I am the only true warrior among us. However, if you truly insist on working together on this, then you make sure to stay out of my way."

Helena narrowed her eyes but kept her mouth firmly clamped around her tongue. Unlike Caliwone, she was not driven solely by pride. If this alien invasion really did come down to a fight to the finish, then they needed to be working on the same page and if Caliwone felt that he needed to strut his manhood in order for that to happen, then so be it.

"Do we have an understanding?" Caliwone asked darkly.

Helena nodded briskly and motioned inside. "Shall we begin strategizing now?"

Caliwone smiled. "Why bother? We all know that I have enough power to simply annihilate that asteroid where it hangs."

"That would be unwise," Dr. Fate said, appearing through the doorway from Metro Tower.

"Oh?" Caliwone asked, not losing his smile. "And why is that?"

"Please, come inside and I will explain." Dr. Fate turned and walked back inside with Helena following, throwing one last glance back at the Saiyan Elite. Caliwone spat to the side and followed reluctantly inside, his hands on his hips.

Inside, J'onn was in the middle of a briefing to the rest of the League which had seemed to be fully assembled in this time of crisis. Shayera looked up from the front as Caliwone, Fate, and Helena entered, her eyes searching Caliwone's for a moment before softening as she saw the old Caliwone back.

"We have managed to retrieve one of the bodies of one of the aliens that was launched from the orbiting asteroid. All indications are that the aliens are hostile and we must move against their home base. We will be divided into teams that will work in conjunction with world military leaders.

"What we do not know at this point is the reason for the aggression or what they intend to accomplish here on Earth. The images we have managed to collect do not shed much light onto the characteristics of these aliens or where they are from. For that, I will redirect your attention to Helena, the one responsible for defeating one of the three aliens." J'onn nodded to Helena who in turn, motioned to Caliwone.

"If I understand our earlier conversation, I believe you may have more insight than I do about these things." Helena said.

There was a soft murmur from the gathered Leaguers as Caliwone gritted his teeth but reluctantly stepped in front of the group. "The aliens we fought today are of no consequence what so ever," Caliwone started, sending a ripple of surprise through the crowd. "They are lowly insects compared to their masters. The one that I fought told me the reason for their presence was to clear out the greatest resistance to their invasion effort. If that is the case, I am sure they will also go after Kal-El.

"In the meantime," he continued, "these creatures that have been defeated are familiar to me. In my time, they were a race to rival even the Saiyan's except for the fact they were largely non aggressive. We had a name for them, the Hindriskei; Tanks. Through the course of the battle, my alien told me that their race had largely evolved from what I had once known, developing special powers beyond anything I had ever witnessed before. I can only imagine what their masters' abilities are that allowed them to enslave the Hindriskei like this. Judging by their complete loyalty to their masters, I would have to say they themselves are no match for their conquerors."

Dr. Fate stepped forward as well. "From my meditations, I believe Caliwone's hypothesis to be correct. I have seen visions of formless creatures wrecking havoc upon the Earth for a great deal of time but my meditations only see potential futures. The future that Caliwone hints coincides with my own visions."

Caliwone stepped down next to Shayera as J'onn took over again, explaining strategy that he hopped to employ. "Where is Kal-El now?" Caliwone asked Shayera.

"Still looking for the third alien," she whispered back. "So far, there has been no sign of it."

"And what of the great detective?" Caliwone asked with only the slightest tint of distaste.

"Analyzing the remains of Helena's alien, I would guess," John said. "But if these aren't the real danger, we should probably let him know."

"Knowing Batman, he already knows," Diana said, the tone of begrudging respect for her former love.

Caliwone snorted slightly but didn't argue. He was one man that Caliwone truly respected as both a man and a fighter. "Then he should already have a plan. Let's find out." Caliwone turned and walked his way through the crowd, the heroes parting before him as he went. Helena and Shayera followed close behind, leaving John to hold the fort with Diana and J'onn.

Batman was, as suspected, deep into his investigation but the alien corpse lay forgotten on the examination table behind him. His focus seemed to be on the communications still coming from the asteroid.

Batman looked down at his readout then back at his screen. "Clark," he called into his comm. unit.

"Yeah," Superman replied.

"How is it coming?"

"Just placing the last of the transponders now," Superman said. "So far though, no sign of the alien pod."

"What about the military?" Batman asked as on his screen, the last of his transponders winked on.

"They haven't said anything yet," Superman said. "I still don't think they have any idea what I am doing."

"That's fine. Let's just do what needs to be done here." Batman tapped a few keys and the grid that he was working on changed angles. "With these in place, it shouldn't take very long to figure out where those transmissions from the asteroid are going."

"Alright, just let me know when you do," Superman said.

"Right," Batman said and shut off his communicator. The door behind him slid open and closed again without Batman so much as looking up but even still, it wasn't hard to guess who would be bothering him now. "What is it?"

"Any luck?" Shayera asked.

"Maybe," Batman said. "Only time will tell-" Batman broke off as his console beeped at him.

"What is it?" Caliwone asked.

"There seems to be a heightened level of communication coming from the asteroid, probably in response to the deaths of the aliens," Batman answered, gesturing over his shoulder to the alien. "With any luck, the heightened communications will make it easier to track where it's going. There." Batman said as on the screen, coordinates appeared along with a birds-eye-view of a cave entrance in the middle of nowhere.

"Superman, I've got it," Batman said. "I'll send you the coordinates."

"I am going, too," Caliwone said.

"Me too," Helena said.

"Fine," Batman said. "Fate will join you when he is finished."

"Whatever," Caliwone said. "Just tell me where to go."

"Would you like me to draw you a map?" Batman asked dryly.

Caliwone gritted his teeth. "You know that I cannot read your language," he said.

"Don't worry," Shayera said, giving Batman a dirty look. "We will guide you. Just get moving."

Caliwone landed on the ground outside of the cave front that Batman had indicated and looked up at the entrance, unimpressed with the blandness the plain rock. The entrance itself stood nearly fifteen feet high and the darkness the cave contained blotted out any further detail of how deep the cave truly extended. According to Batman, this cave system extended for miles underground, keeping even the most daring explorers from learning its true depths.

Helena landed beside him, curiosity splashed across her face as she brushed a loose hair back into place. "So this is the place," she said. "Any idea as to where in this maze we are suppose to go?"

"Hn," Caliwone said, taking a step toward the cave entrance. "Worse case scenario, we blast the whole area and take pot luck."

Helena raised her eyebrows in amusement. "Don't you think we should wait for Superman?" she asked, resting her hand casually on her hip and shielded her eyes against the sun as she looked around with her other as the sun rose slowly higher in the sky.

"You don't need to worry about that," Caliwone said and stopped. Behind him, there was a sudden whooshing sound and flying dirt as Superman blew in.

"Caliwone," Superman greeted as his red cape swept past him and he stood up to his full height.

"Kal-El," Caliwone said without so much as looking over his shoulder. "You are getting slow."

Superman chuckled. He turned to look over his shoulder at Helena waiting patiently behind, both hands now planted firmly on her hips.

"And how are you?" Superman asked.

"Peachy," she said. "How about we just get this little job over with?"

"Agreed," Caliwone said. "Let's get going." Blue energy encompassed Caliwone and he tore off into the cave, his own energy lighting his way into its darkened depths. He had made it maybe a mile into the cave system with the others in tow when he came to an abrupt, bone crushing halt as his face hit some sort of invisible force field. Slowly, he slid down the shield until he came to a rest on the floor of the cave.

He hit the ground and held his face, trying not to groan in front of Kal-El and Helena but struggling. It was one thing to be in the middle of a fight, his body prepared to be hit and battered, it was a different thing all together to not be expecting it at all. Behind him, the other two landed behind more gently and looked down at the proud Saiyan in slight concern.

"Are you alright?" Superman asked, doing his best to keep the complete amusement out of his voice.

"Fine," Caliwone said, standing and hoping that neither saw the trickle of blood from his nose before he wiped it away. "What the hell is this?"

"It's an invisible wall," Helena said, stepping forward and running her hand along it. "What is this doing here?"

"Or how it got here," Superman agreed.

"What do you want to bet we know where our final missing alien is?" Caliwone asked. "Isn't this the general direction it was headed?"

"Yes," Superman said and touched his ear. "Batman, we're at the cave but there seems to be a barrier of some sort blocking us. We all seem to be in agreement that this is where the last alien is." He paused for a moment. "Batman? Are you there? You're breaking up." Caliwone snorted gently as Superman walked back the way they had come as if searching for reception.

"I think you dropped something," Helena said with a smirk as Superman turned to look back questioningly. "I think it was your call." Superman gave her gave her a look and continued back toward the mouth of the cave.

Caliwone turned to look back at the invisible wall. This barrier was unlike the defense capabilities of the Hindriskei, air turned solid. He could sense the energy wafting off of it like it was one of his old teammates'. Lifting a hand, Caliwone fired a blast at the shield.

The ground shook with the impact, dropping large boulders from top of the large cave that crashed down with significant force but as the dust cleared, it was clear the shield was more than strong enough to withstand the attack.

He raised his hand for a second attempt but Helena stepped forward. Yellow light flashed as her attack lanced outward and collided with the wall. Caliwone folded his arms across his chest as the shock front passed by, nearly collapsing the cave upon them.

"Hey, stop it," Superman said as he came jogging back toward them. "If you keep doing stuff like that, you'll collapse the entire cave system down on top of us."

"And?" Caliwone asked. "We would just blast out way back out."

"And we could probably get around this stupid barrier, even if it did survive our attack," Helena added.

Between the Saiyans and the barrier, a yellow symbol surrounded by purple highlight glowed brightly in the dark cave and a figure in blue with a gold cape and helmet appeared with flare and lowered himself to the ground. "It would be unwise for that course of action," Fate said as the heavenly glow faded. "The barrier comes complete circle around this place, much like Apocalypse's barrier around the pyramids. But here, I sense three such barriers-"

Caliwone held up a hand and frowned. He had just heard something stirring from the depths of the cave behind the barrier. From where he stood, he could not see anything but the sound he had heard had sent a shiver down his spine. After another moment, the sound returned. It was a howl of some unearthly creature.

Helena heard it this time as well. "What is that?"

"I don't hear anything," Superman said, straining to listen.

"For someone with, like, fifteen kinds of super hearing, you are really deaf," Helena said tartly. "Caliwone?"

"It's a Hollow," Caliwone said. "Be on your guard."

"A what?" Helena asked.

"A Hollow," Caliwone said again. "They are evil spirits that Shinigami seek out and destroy."

"You mean those invisible creatures you keep looking for?" Superman asked.

Caliwone glanced over his shoulder at Superman, a look of sudden realization on his face as the sounds of more Hollows wafted over to them. "You cannot see them," Caliwone recounted. "Terrific."

In the distance, movements could be seen, unclear to the naked eye but Caliwone knew without question what they were. Caliwone set his stance, readying himself to defend not only himself, but Kal-El and Fate. Helena did the same, dropping comfortably into her fighting stance as the Hollow's came close enough for all four to be seen.

"Physical attacks are ineffective against them," Caliwone cautioned Helena. "The large masks they have for faces must be pierced or cut for them to die but they are much stronger than they look."

"Got it," Helena said.

Together, the two Saiyans raised their power levels and entered their Super Saiyan state in unison as the evil Hollows closed the last of the gap. They reached the invisible shield and passed through it easily. As they did so, Helena and Caliwone struck, each streaking forward and striking quickly.

The first two Hollows hit the side of the cave with tremendous force, causing more rocks to fall around them. The second set collided into each other as the two Super Saiyans fired blasts from opposite ends of the cave to attack their targets in the sides.

They let out a threatening roar as all four recovered and reengaged, hungry for the taste of fresh living souls. Caliwone leaped forward again, striking the first of the Hollows then turning for the second but the Hollow was ignoring him, aiming straight for the unaware Dr. Fate.

Gritting his teeth and giving up an excellent striking opportunity on one of the other Hollows, Caliwone dash forward, beating the Hollow to Fate and firing a blast straight down the throat of the Hollow as it opened its mouth for a bit. The Hollow roared as it belched smoke, then was hit hard as Helena dropped down on top of it its head.

"Hold them off for a moment," Caliwone said and lowered his right arm. Blue lighting arced around it as Helena flew in to distract all four of the Hollows at once but before she could reach them, there was a blink and all four of the heroes were standing outside of the cave entrance.

"What?" Caliwone asked, looking around in confusion.

There was a crash of stone as Helena, unable to stop quickly enough from her attack she had been about to launch, crashed head long into the side of the cave.

Caliwone paid her no attention as he released the energy he had been collecting in his right hand and turned toward Kal-El and Fate. "Explain." he demanded.

"I transported us away," Fate said. "The battle you two were fighting was unnecessary."

"Unnecessary?" Caliwone roared. "Are you stupid?"

"We could not have broken through those shields by force nor could either Superman or myself see the creatures you described. Continuing the battle would have only resulted in wasted energy or injury."

"Sometimes it's better to step back and find a different approach, Caliwone." Superman said.

"Or it is cowardice." Caliwone ground out.

"It makes sense," Helena said, walking over to the group and rubbing her head as the gold Super Saiyan spikes fell to crimson red hair. "Next time you decide to do that and you don't warn us first, I will kill you."

"So then, great strategizers," Caliwone scoffed, "what now?"

"Judging by the energy the barrier we encountered was emitting, I would hazard a guess that there is a key to each barrier that must be discovered in order for us to pass."

"A key?" Caliwone asked.

"Yes," Fate nodded. "I have encountered several barriers in my travels, all of those that share qualities as this has a key somewhere about."

"And how do we find these 'keys'?" Superman asked.

"I would guess that they give off the same energy as the barrier," Fate said. "You did say that you could sense it?" he asked the Saiyans.

"Up close and now that I know it's there," Helena said. "I can't sense it from here, though."

"Very well," Fate said. "I will retreat into meditation until I can find a solution to this predicament."

"You do that," Caliwone said. "While you're at it, use your little magic and find a way to allow normal people like Kal-El to see these Hollows."

His expression couldn't be seen under his mask, but Caliwone was pretty sure he sensed the raising of the man's eyebrow at the insinuation of Superman being normal, but nodded and took to the air. The same yellow/purple symbol appeared in the air behind him and he vanished a second later.

"So what do we do now?" Helena asked, planting her hands firmly on her hips and kicking at a small rock. "We just sit here and wait?"

"You wait if you want to," Caliwone said. "I am going to retrieve someone who may be of actual use." He threw a glare over at Kal-El.

"Let me guess," Helena said with a roll of her eyes. "Your little Japanese friends?"

"At least they do not need to be told how to fight," Caliwone shot back. "They, at least, can handle themselves."

Helena opened her mouth to send a withering retort but Superman cut in smoothly. "We could use all the help we can get," he said. "Go on, Caliwone. We will wait here." Caliwone gave a short nod. With a burst of golden light, Caliwone shot off like a shooting star in reverse and out of sight.

"I swear," Helena said in the sudden silence. "One of these days I'm gonna smack the attitude right out of the arrogant Saiyan."

Superman chuckled. "I'd suggest you get use to it. He's not ever likely to change."

To be continued...

Seems like Caliwone is back to his old self and has accepted Helena's offer... Sort of. Lol.

Hopefully, this rag tag team of heroes can get this mystery solved. However, I have a bad feeling about things...

See what happens next on Dragon Sagas!


	9. Chapter 08: Teamwork

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 08: ****Teamwork**********

Caliwone streaked across the sky, leaving his familiar trail of blue sparkle behind as he crossed over the United States and into the Pacific Ocean, sending great arcs of water on diverging paths in his wake. Perhaps out of fear from the unknown threat, large whales leaped out of the water, only half of their gigantic bodies breaking the barrier of ocean and air before crashing back down, sending sparkles of glinting water dancing across the majestic water.

Caliwone watched with curiosity as he passed several schools of the large creatures before breaking away from water and back onto land. Here he came to a pause and stretched out with his senses, looking for the familiar taste of powers he had become accustomed to. Only one was detectable and so headed that direction and soon found himself outside of a small, two story house.

Caliwone eyed the small building for a moment, confirming that the presence was indeed coming from here, before walking up to the front door and walking in without knocking. The small entry way gave the option to either move forward and take a left to what smelled to be the kitchen area or to head up the steps to the upstairs where three doors could be seen beyond the traditional railing.

"Yusuke," a female voice called in from the kitchen. "Breakfast will be ready soon so don't go anywhere too far, ok?"

"You know I love your cooking too much to go anywhere," Yusuke's voice came down from the bedroom. "I just need to take care of something first." Yusuke walked out of the bedroom and locked eyes with Caliwone, standing with his arms crossed and the unhappy look he always seemed to wear on his face.

"You look cheery," Yusuke said casually, walking down the stairs to stand face to face with the Saiyan. "Can I get you a bottle of warm milk or something?"

"There is a problem," Caliwone said. "You may be able to assist me."

"Go find Kuwabara," Yusuke said, walking toward the kitchen and waving a hand over his shoulder dismissively. "Not really in much of the world saving mood today."

Caliwone cocked an eyebrow. "I see. Then you would rather let aliens invade this planet from the asteroid and not do anything about it? Fine. Where is Ichigo?"

"Probably getting ready for school," Urameshi said as he looked back before disappearing into the kitchen. "Couple of blocks from Urahara shop."

"Yusuke," Keiko said, leaning into the hall. "Are you talking to ghosts again?" She caught sight of Caliwone and her face turned an odd shade of green then white.

"Nah," Yusuke said. "It's just Caliwone begging me to help him save the world again."

"I see," Keiko said, the color returning to her face. "He doesn't want to stay for breakfast, does he?"

Yusuke looked over at Caliwone thoughtfully. "I dunno. Hey Caliwone, you hungry?"

"Yusuke!" Keiko hissed angrily and jabbed him hard in the ribs with her elbow.

"No," Caliwone said, eyeing Keiko with the same hostility she was showing him. "I do not appear welcome here."

"Ah, don't be silly," Yusuke said, giving Keiko a playful shove back into the kitchen. "Keiko's cooking is to die for."

Caliwone looked after them for a moment before following them into the kitchen. He stopped, taken aback as he saw the plates full of food stacked across the small kitchen island. There was enough to feed an army, which would be an appropriate expression to suite Yusuke if one were to recall how much devastation he could cause with his infantile mastery and reckless use of his power. Rice, miso soup with bread and grilled fish that were still sizzling softly and then on the other end, scrambled eggs, French toast and bacon, a taste both Caliwone and Yusuke had acquired while at the Xavier Institute.

"It's not much," Yusuke said, taking a seat at the table as Keiko began filling his plate. "I told her I was looking for a light breakfast. I guess today is going to be a little lighter but what the hell."

Caliwone looked down at the chair in front of him and followed Yusuke's lead, sitting down and watching as Keiko dropped food onto second plate with maybe a little more gusto than necessary and slapped the plates down in front of them.

"Looks great, Keiko," Yusuke said, rubbing his hands together. "Thanks."

Keiko looked over at Caliwone, waiting expectantly for his compliments. As if in answer to the look, Caliwone's stomach growled as the smells of delicious Earth food made its way into Caliwone's brain.

"The greatest compliment there is," Yusuke grinned and picked up his eating tools and began digging in as if he had been starved for days.

Caliwone watched him for a moment and then again followed Yusuke's lead. Keiko watched with equal parts disgust and fascination as the two boys stuffed their faces without showing any sign that either of them knew any manners at all but she had been married to Yusuke for a long time now and was use to it; sort of. The two finished their plates at very nearly the same time and with a belch of satisfaction, they both leaned back in their seats with their bellies full and sighed.

"I'm glad you guys liked it," Keiko said. "So then I can leave you guys to clean up, right?"

"Come on, Keiko," Yusuke purred.

"Don't even 'Keiko' me," she cut him off. "You know how to do it. For goodness sake, you did live with your mom for so long."

"I must find Ichigo," Caliwone said, trying hard to avoid the task. He had been told to do this at the Xavier Institute with Kitty once and had nearly broken every plate he had touched.

"On no you don't," Keiko said, slamming a hand down on the table. "You don't just get to eat and run." Caliwone's lip quirked as he could see no way out of this. He was the most powerful Saiyan alive, among the most powerful being in existence, now reduced to dish duty. The universe never ceased to find ways to humiliate him.

Kurosaki Ichigo gave a heavy sigh as he listened to his instructors drawl on about all of the battles throughout history that had occurred without significant superhero intervention in the earlier years before groups like the X-Men and Justice League began showing up in North America. He leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling, doing the best he could to tune the instructor out and keep his eye lids open.

Next to his seat, Inoue glanced over at him. "Kurosaki-kun, please pay attention. We have a test in only a few days."

Ichigo ignored her as his eyes slowly drifted toward the large window that oversaw the central open area between the school buildings where the single large tree sat watchful sentry over the benches, shrubs, and the floating alien outside of his window watching him with startlingly focused eyes.

Ichigo turned back to his contemplation of the ceiling as his mind drifted listlessly, searching for anything to keep him from zoning out altogether. It was a well practiced talent of his, often contemplating whatever happened to catch his eye in the moment. The pattern of the holes in the ceiling tiles seemed to be his favorite tool or the poetic injustice that marked the existence of any one of a thousand underappreciated objects, or even the alien who hovered near the window, staring at him with single-minded focus. Or the way- wait, alien hovering near the window?

He came out of his reverie with a start but Caliwone was gone. Ichigo continued to look outside, knowing that now Caliwone had made it a point to gain his attention, he would be either waiting for Ichigo to come outside on his own or would come get him. Knowing Caliwone, he would probably perform the latter given enough opportunity.

Ichigo stood up. "Bathroom," he said, interrupting the lecture and took a step toward the door. He hadn't made it more than half way to the door when the ceiling collapsed inward.

Screams rang out as bits of ceiling fell in on them, none noticing the yellow triangular shield that winked into place to protect them. Chad, sitting in the back managed to run his way forward and use his massive body to protect a small group as Caliwone lowered himself down into the classroom next to Ichigo and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him through the ceiling.

"Are you insane!" Ichigo practically screamed as Caliwone flew them both over to the Urahara shop and dropped Ichigo to the ground more or less gently. "What's your deal?"

"Your assistance in required," Caliwone said.

"Have you ever tried asking for it?" Ichigo hollered, his face turning red.

"I tried that with Yusuke," Caliwone said, giving Ichigo a steady glare. "He said no."

Ichigo was taken aback. "He said what?"

"So now, I am telling you. You are coming with me."

Caliwone looked up slightly as Urahara Kisuke slid the door open and stepped outside, nodding welcome to Caliwone from under his green and white stripped hat. "As always, you are welcome here, Caliwone. Now tell me, what is happening over in America right now."

"Yesterday, three pods were jettisoned from the asteroid-"

"Not out here," Urahara said, interrupting the Saiyan. "Come inside. I just put some tea on."

Caliwone gritted his teeth. "I don't want any tea!" he stated then growled deep inside. "I just want to tell the story."

"Come now," Urahara chided softly. "A story without tea is like watching a movie without popcorn."

"I see," Urahara said after talking a long drink and setting the cup down lightly on the table they all sat around. "And then Hollow's showed up at the cave. Interesting. Ever since Aizen's defeat, the Hollows seem to have been acting very strangely. I wonder what they are up to."

"So they are working with those aliens, huh?" Ichigo said. "I've never heard of them ever working for anybody, except Aizen, and even then, it was only the Espada really and only because they were more intelligent. Normal Hollows and even Menos Grande's are solely base instincts, right?"

Urahara nodded. "There is still a lot unknown about them, even after the Aizen incidents, but that does seem to be the case. Strange that they would be working with an alien force."

"Assuming that is the case," Caliwone said. "It could also be as simple as being in the wrong place at the wrong time for us. I just do not want to be caught off guard like that again. It is much more difficult and power consuming for me to kill one than it is for you, Shinigami, and my companions are next to useless against them."

"Right." Ichigo sighed.

"I think you should go with him," Kisuke stated simply. "Just remember what you have learned. I feel there is a lot more to this than beating a few Hollows and this final alien. Be on guard."

"Yeah, just one minor problem," Ichigo said. "I just got pulled out of class and I have midterms in a few days!"

Caliwone looked at him in complete disbelief. "If you prefer, I can annihilate your entire school and eliminate the distraction."

"Actually-"

"Don't worry about your classes," Urahara said, cutting Ichigo off mid-sentence. "I will take care of it for you."

"Great," Caliwone said, standing up from the table. "Now transform and let us get a move on."

"Just a minute," came Yusuke's voice from the door. "Man I hate guilt trips."

"Ah, Yusuke," Urahara said smiling broadly and waving from the floor. "Welcome."

"Yeah," Yusuke said, giving an almost glare at Caliwone. "I may need a spot to live after this, if Keiko doesn't calm down about me running off to do this save-the-world thing."

"The one person Urameshi Yusuke is afraid of," Ichigo said with a smile, "his wife, Keiko."

"Damn right," Yusuke said. "Even Caliwone's afraid of her. She actually had him washing dishes this morning."

"How is it coming?" Inza asked softly as she continued to watch her husband meditate in his private study. "Have you managed to forge a solution?"

"For the locations of the keys, yes," Fate said just as softly as he remained hovering a few feet off the ground with his legs crossed in a sitting position. "But to these unknown creatures Caliwone and Helena fought today, no. It is more difficult to identify something you have never seen or experienced before."

"What if you had the assistance of someone whose eyes you could see through?" Inza asked. "If Helena and Superman are waiting for you, why not bring them here?"

"Inza, you know this is a sacred place," Fate admonished. "It is not a place for any outsiders to roam freely."

"Even if those outsiders hold the key to your puzzle?" Inza asked knowingly.

Fate considered that. She was right of course, the reasoning that spoke from his shoulder. And besides, Superman had been here in the past. There was no reason for him to doubt their intentions. He lowered his legs to the floor. "You are as wise as you are beautiful, Inza, my love," Fate said. "Please, prepare the room for guests. I will not be long."

Inza bowed slightly and left. Fate exited the room as well in his own, glowing way and reappeared outside the cave where he had left Superman and Helena. He looked around as the glow faded but saw no sign of his friends anywhere in the area. He sweep brought his eyes to behold the cave entrance. Fearing that his friends had returned to the shield, he started forward.

"Psst. Fate," came a whisper from a thick growth of bushes and trees. Helena's head was poking out from them to look at him. "This way. We're over here."

"Why are you hiding amidst the bushes?" Fate asked, joining them with only minor complications from his cape behind the bushes and out of sight of the cave.

"Caliwone was right about those Hollow things," Helena said, wiping clean a fresh cut on her face. "They are really tough."

"I see," Fate said. "Why not take shelter at my tower. I require your assistance in constructing the incantation that Caliwone requested."

"Sounds fine to me," Superman said. "But what if Caliwone comes back and we aren't here."

"I can leave a message for him to hang in the air and play itself upon his return with my sorcery," Fate said. "It will take but a moment to complete."

"Knock yourself out," Helena said. With a nod, Fate walked over to the cave entrance and muttered a few words that were as beautiful to the ears as they were mysterious in its unknown tongue. Finished, Fate raised his hands and the three transported back to the tower.

Inza was waiting with small snacks set on a plate as she waited for Fate's return and smiled warmly at their guests. "Welcome. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you," Superman said, smiling back. "What do you need me to do, Fate?"

"For this to work, it is not you I require but her," Fate said. "I must see, through her eyes, the Hollows she has seen so that I may create the proper incantation."

"Wait, what?" Helena asked, pointing a finger at herself. "You want to do what with me?"

"What he means," Inza interrupted, setting a calming hand on her shoulder, "is that he wants to use your mind as a looking-glass to see the Hollows, since he himself cannot."

"I'm not so keen on having someone root around in my mind, thanks," Helena said, leaving little room for error.

"Have no fear," Fate said. "Personal thoughts or images rarely present themselves to me and I will not go looking for anymore than what I have said."

"Oh, that's comforting," Helena growled.

"Is there no other way to do this?" Superman asked, noting Helena's discomfort.

"It would still be possible," Fate conceded, "however, the time it would take to complete may be unreasonable."

"Fine, whatever," Helena growled, walking over to Fate in the exact center of the room and snagging one of the snacks Inza was carrying. "Just no peeking."

"Never out of intent," Fate said and stretched out his hands to hover on either side of her head. "Please, Inza," he added as Superman shifted his weight to get a better look at what was happening. "If we could have the room."

"Of course," Inza said and touched Superman lightly on the arm. "Come."

The two left and Fate closed his eyes. As his sorcery grew around them both, his consciousness became more aware of his surroundings, the blackness of the space, and the shaking of Helena. He frowned just slightly as his attention was drawn to that for a moment but his sorcery was dependant on his focus. With sheer force of will, he brought his mind back on track to the problem at hand.

In his mind, there was a sudden explosion of sensations that overlaid his own. He rocked to the sides for a moment as he tried to keep his balance as first her memory replaced reality and her sense of balance shifted as she moved through the air to the shield and saw again, Caliwone smash into it. His mind suddenly flared with a sixth sense as he was able to _feel_ the shield as well as Caliwone and then suddenly, he felt emptiness approach them from directly ahead and soon after, truly vicious and unearthly creatures tore around the corner and attacked, letting loose a terrible howl.

Fate broke the connection and he and Helena both staggered back a step. Fate shook his head to finish clearing his mind. "I have what I need now, I believe," Fate said. "Thank you. I will be out in a few minutes after I complete this spell."

"Yeah, sure," Helena said, rubbing her forehead idly. "Take your time."

"Man I really hate flying," Yusuke shouted up to Caliwone and Ichigo as they finished the final leg of the trip back to the cave and Superman who waited for them. "I don't really see what you guys see in this sort of thing."

"It's because you are so slow," Caliwone grumbled. "I mean, really. This half-hour flight should have been over almost half an hour ago."

"Give me a break up there, Saiyan," Yusuke growled. "Just because flying isn't my forte doesn't mean you get to knock me."

The three heroes broke the plain between valley and mountains and approached their final decent, following Caliwone's lead. They landed softly in the clearing before the cave and looked around for the rest of the team.

"So where are they?" Ichigo asked.

Caliwone didn't say anything, searching for Helena's sense. As he walked around, he passed the front of the cave. Light glowed, softly at first, then bright enough to illuminate the entire area with the soft golden light.

"It's the burning bush!" Yusuke yelped before sense took back control. "Wait a second. Koenma said they don't use that kind of communication anymore. What the heck?"

"Why don't you close your pie hole and watch?" Ichigo suggested acidly.

"Listen here, carrot top-" Yusuke tried to rebut but was interrupted as the light solidified into a solid looking projection of Dr. Fate's shoulders and head.

"Caliwone and friends," Fate said. "In order to complete the spell, I needed Helena to return with me to my tower. Superman has joined us. We will return shortly." The light faded and all was still.

"This is great," Ichigo said, turning to face Caliwone. "You drag me out of class to come all the way over here and now we have to wait. If I had known this was going to happen I would have at least told Inoue and Chad what was happening."

"And I could have dragged Hiei and Kurama with, too," Yusuke added. "Or at least could have force Kuwabara along."

"Quiet," Caliwone snapped. "I do not have time for your petty complaining.

"Actually, we do," Yusuke said. "We can't do anything until the others get here, right? Plenty of time for complaining."

Caliwone ground his teeth but before he could utter any offensive words about their race, Fate, Helena, and Superman appeared in a burst of yellow and purple along with Vixen, Diana, Green Lantern, Flash, Black Canary, and Captain Atom.

"Great," Caliwone said. "Is everything set?"

"The spell has been successfully created," Fate said. "However, it is only temporary. In the time I had, I was not able to find a more permanent solution."

"That's fine," Caliwone said. "If you have lived your lives up to this point without encountering a Hollow, you most likely will not need this spell after today." He gestured to his sides as Yusuke and Ichigo stepped up next to him. "Yusuke and Ichigo both have experience with Hollows and therefore will be leading two of the three teams to find these 'keys' Fate is talking about." He paused as the looks of confusion passed through the newer faces. "What?" He asked.

"Yusuke and who?" Vixen asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know about everyone else, but I only see you and Japanese kid."

Caliwone glanced over at Yusuke, then Ichigo. "Fate?"

"I have not yet applied the spell," Fate answered. "We were trying to return as quickly as possible."

Caliwone let out a deep sigh. "Do it now, Fate."

Dr. Fate nodded then turned to the group. "You will all feel a moment of brief discomfort but do not be alarmed. It will pass quickly." He muttered a few words in a strange forgotten language and the area glowed a faint purple.

There was a ripple of surprise across the group as all eyes turned to look at Ichigo and the overly large Zanpakutou strapped to his back. Ichigo smiled a bit nervously and waved politely.

"That answers my question," Vixen said.

"Glad to hear it," Caliwone said snidely. "Now, there will be three teams, Helena, Kal-El, and I will be team number one. Ichigo and Yusuke will lead the others, I don't care about who is on those teams."

"Hang on," Superman said. "Why don't I go onto one of the other teams? We need to split up our strength evenly throughout the groups."

"You and Noventa will come with me," Caliwone said, leaving no room for argument. "That way I can keep an eye on her and you, Kal-El, will be able to assist with what needs to be done after we get back here to the cave."

"Flash or Diana can do that job as well as I can," Superman said.

Caliwone glanced over at the Scarlet Speedster. "No," Caliwone said flatly. "I would kill him myself and I think one woman on this team is more than enough."

Superman gave a brief have glance over at Diana who was bristling in rage next to Helena and decided not to tempt a full on brawl. "Fine. Vixen, Flash, and John all go with Ichigo, and Fate, Canary, Diana, and Captain Atom, go with Yusuke."

"I will remain here," Fate said. "I must monitor the barriers to be sure that our course of action is effective."

"That's fine," Superman said. "Can you also direct us to the keys?"

"Certainly," Fate said.

"Good," Caliwone said. "Let's get moving."

To be continued...

We have a plan now. How will this all work out? With the teams split up, each lead by those that can see the Hollows naturally, I see tough battles coming up but if there are more aliens like the ones Caliwone and Helena fought, I cannot guarantee the safety of the entire League...

Hopefully, I am just imagining things... Ironic...

Thanks Kobez2.0!

Later guys!


	10. Chapter 09: The Keys

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

**Make sure to to check out Kobez2.0's **_**"Blurred Identity"**_

******Chapter 09: The Keys******

In the bright sky, the silver white of the Justice League's Javelin with the large printed thirty-six splashed across the uplifted tail fins, flashed across the sky with a shrill scream as it raced off in the direction of Europe. Like a blur, the Javelin passed over the edges of the American border lands and over the blue and white capped ocean as on board, John tried hard to keep his cool as Vixen continued to stare unblinkingly at him, despite Flash's witty banter with the Shinigami.

John frowned slightly, distracted by the thought of his existence. Shinigami meant Death God in Japanese but everything he had ever read or seen involved a skeletal body and shadowy robes that always left a chill running down his back but this boy looked like a normal kid with bright orange hair and the speaking mannerisms of a typical Japanese kid. Even the way that the kid, Ichigo, was leaning up against the far wall with his arms crossed and his oversized sword strapped to his back, a vein slowly but constantly growing larger in annoyance at the Flash's personality was typical of today's kids.

He shook his head, knowing that at the speed they were traveling and the importance of their mission needed his full attention. As he was mission lead, he needed to keep his focus. Dr. Fate's mental suggestions and guidance as to their destination came through on a vague schedule so even slight distraction could miss a vital bit to their flight.

It was only a few minutes more before he got the mental nudge that they had arrived at their destination and lowered the craft down to the European dirt and lowered the boarding ramp with a soft thump. John stood and followed the team out and the four heroes looked around at the scene of normalcy. They were just outside of a smaller town, white picket fences enclosed modest sized homes and flush green trees that yielded shade to the otherwise open yard and dusty road that split the town in two.

"Fate, where to?" John asked into his comm.

"It feels as though you are very nearby," Fate said. "Of course, from this distance it is impossible for me to give you precise directions."

"That's fine," John said. "Just be as specific as you can."

"Maybe a mile ahead of you to the north you should find a small town if this European map is to be trusted," Fate said. Over the comm. came the faint rustle of paper, as if Fate was turning a map around and looking to see which was the top of it.

"We are standing outside it now," John said, running one hand across his bald head. So much for accuracy.

"Intriguing," Fate said, sounding genuinely curious. "Perhaps on the northern side of that town then. There must be a cellar of a sort in the vicinity for I sense the 'Key' appears to be underground.

"Alright. I'll get back to you when we found it," John said and turned his attention to the rest of the team. "Ok. Find a way under the ground," he said and started walking north to the area Fate. "Fate said the key is there."

"Done," Flash said, skidding to a halt in front of John. "There is a cellar next to the blue house at the end of the road. Funny, though. I didn't see a single person in the town. Just a bunch of manikin dolls."

John raised his eyebrows, surprised as much by the manikin's as to the speed to which the Fastest Man Alive had found the cellar they were looking for. "Uh-huh," he said. "And why would there be manikins living here?"

"Only thing I can think of is a military bomb testing ground," Vixen said, crossing her arms across her chest.

John glanced over at her for a brief second before turning his eyes to the boarders of the town. "I don't see anything," he said. "Let's just worry about this key."

"That's great," Vixen sneered. "And what happens when we find out this really is a bomb sight due to a bomb actually blowing up?"

"My ring is more than powerful enough to shield us," John said, sounding bored. "Let's move."

Flash led the way to the cellar next to the blue house. It was made of an old time design of solid stone with four steps leading down into the storm shelter that left much light to be desired. With a glint, John's ring flashed into a green tinted flashlight that he slowly swept around the cellar.

"Oh this is great," Vixen commented. "The key _must_ be here."

"Don't complain to me," John said defensively. "I didn't find this cellar."

Flash shrugged. "Fate said cellar. I found cellar."

Vixen rested two fingers against her forehead in dismay. "Terrific," she said. "Now how about you find this key next?" she asked with a shake of her head.

"No need," Ichigo said, speaking for the first time and pulling his sword free from its wrapping. "I found it."

"I can't believe this crap," Yusuke complained as he and his team found themselves headed down to the Nevada desert in a second Javelin that the Justice League had provided as transport for this mission.

"What are you complaining about?" Diana asked from the pilot's seat.

"Come on," Yusuke simmered. "Nevada? It doesn't take a genius to figure out where we are going. I mean, what else is in Nevada other than Vegas and Area 51?"

"Lots of uninhabited desert," Dinah said from where she sat with arms crossed over her somewhat revealing Black Canary outfit. "Stop complaining."

"Why don't you get yanked out of your happy little life to go parading around a desert looking for aliens in a foreign desert," Yusuke spat acidly as he scratched at the small device behind his ear that allowed him to both speak and understand English, "_then _come talk to me, blonde."

"You should calm down with the hostility," Captain Atom said, his thick military accent sounding cool as the atomic man looked over at the much smaller teenager. "It wouldn't be wise to try such a populated area or such a secure base to plant a key."

"Unless an alien doesn't need to be there physically," Yusuke retorted, sticking his tongue out at Captain Atom.

"That is a possibility," Diana said. "But I don't think so. If that was the case, Dr. Fate would have just told us where to go."

"Whatever," Yusuke said. "If not one of those two then where exactly are we going then?"

"I don't know," Diana said. "Dr. Fate is directing us as we go along with Ichigo's and Superman's team. All he could tell us was that the our key is located somewhere in Nevada and Superman's is located somewhere in eastern Asia."

Yusuke heaved a sigh and banged the back of his head against the inside of the Javelin as Diana gave a minor course adjustment, presumably in accordance with Dr. Fate. With his head pressed against the side of the Javelin, he could hear the wind rushing past outside. Yusuke frowned as his heightened hearing picked up a strange sound. It sounded like... a yell. Yusuke peered out the nearest window and saw a girl wearing a pink kimono with bright blue hair and riding what looked like an ore. Yusuke's mouth gapped as he saw Boton flying after the Javelin as fast as she could, struggling hard not to get lost in the slipstream. Even as he watched, Boton sidled carefully over to the Javelin and, with a pop, appeared inside the ship.

"Yusuke, you jerk!" Boton shouted, to the startled surprise of the Justice League. "I have been trying to catch you since Koenma said you where meeting with Caliwone."

"Sorry, Boton," Yusuke said casually, not sounding all too upset. "What do you want?"

"I can sense your concern," Boton said darkly, narrowing her eyes. "Koenma said you could use my help."

"And what can you do?" Yusuke asked, lifting a finger and digging gently into one ear in order to clean it.

"You know full well that I am the most useful member of your team, Yusuke."

"_Former_ team," Yusuke corrected.

"Excuse me," Diana said and Yusuke noticed that all eyes were now rooted to the blue haired bimbo that had just joined them. "Who is this?"

Yusuke spared a frown and lifted a hand to indicate Boton. "This is Boton. Personal assistant to Koenma, ruler of Other World, and the former Grim Reaper."

The other gawked slightly as the sprightly Boton gave a short bow and a wink. "Hello everyone!"

The Justice League members gave each other a shocked look. "I thought Ichigo was a Shinigami, a 'Grim Reaper'."

"She worked more on Koenma's behalf," Yusuke said. "Not a fighter and so, never deals with Hollows."

Canary cocked an eyebrow slightly but said nothing as Diana accepted a mental command and lowered the Javelin to the darkened ground. Flicking a switch as she did so, search lights flashed out, looking like an alien UFO sweeping in to land.

The ramp lowered to the ground and the group trooped down it. Outside, the darkened air was chilly and clear without a cloud in the sky. Canary shivered slightly against her will as the cool night air cut straight through her rather revealing hero's outfit. The sparse setting of trees also swayed slightly in the wind, giving life to the otherwise deserted baron. No fox poked its head out from the brush to watch with wary eyes at the newcomers, no mice giving lead to the nights predators, and no other human evident anywhere in sight.

Captain Atom gave light to the darkness, floating high above the team and allowed his nuclear energy to bathe the land in a pale blue glow that sent sharp shadows skidding away from the source. The team moved forward as Fate directed them until, with a lifted hand, Diana brought them all to a halt.

"Here?" Dinah asked and looked around at the complete emptiness around them. "I don't see anything."

"Well this is a bit of a letdown," Boton commented lightly as she looked around cluelessly.

"Fate, there's nothing here," Diana said into the comm. in her ear. She paused as she waited for Fate to answer, then gave a sigh. Fate can't pinpoint exactly where we need to be going, so at this point, we are mostly on our own."

"What about you, Boton?" Yusuke asked. "Didn't Koenma send you over with some kind of tool or something?"

"Why yes, he did," Boton said excitedly. Snapping her fingers, a normal looking brown briefcase appeared in the air in front of Boton and hung there until she reached out and took hold of the handle and lowered it to the ground.

"Detective Item number thirty seven," Boton announced proudly as she pulled from its innards something that looked like a compass the size of a basketball. "Koenma's brand new, cutting edge, top of the line Hollow locator!"

"What the hell, Boton?" Yusuke hollered. "_That_ is cutting edge?"

"Well," Boton answered a little confused by Yusuke's reaction, "Koenma's technology department just finished it. They didn't have time to make it any smaller."

Yusuke took the thing from Boton with a look of complete disgust and turned it over, looking intently for an on switch of some sort. Finding it in an unorthodox place on the back, the indicator flashed once and fired off a series of rapid beeps like sonar.

"You can't be serious," Dinah commented as Yusuke turned in the direction that the device indicated.

"You got a better idea?" Yusuke asked.

"Since we have no other ideas," Diana said, "we must work with what we have."

The group trooped off toward the mountains in the far off distance for several minutes but came to a stop well before them. According to the Hollow locator, they now stood directly above their destination which meant, their target was below them.

"Hold this," Yusuke said, tossing the device carelessly over to Boton, Yusuke jumped high into the air and cocked back his fist, ready to punch the ground with the added force of his fall. If what they searched for was below, it only stood to reason there was a hidden room or cave underground.

"Hold on there, cowboy," Captain Atom said, sliding through the air to cut him off. "Let's try something less explosive." He landed on the ground as Yusuke floated out of the way. Putting his arms over his chest, Captain Atom spun like a top, red energy encompassing the atomic man and melting straight through the ground. Fifty feet down, he broke through into the cavern.

Wonder Woman dropped down the hole after Captain Atom with Dinah dangling from one arm and then followed by Yusuke carrying Boton. Once inside, Captain Atom brought light as he had done outside. Yusuke took the lead down the cavern but was jerked to a halt by Diana.

"What?" Yusuke asked. Diana merely pointed to the opposite corner to where an odd looking, obviously alien device sat. Its stalk like eye and several whip like tendrils lay unmoving on the ground next to it.

"This is just like the thing the Brotherhood in Bayville found a year ago," Diana said. "It's some sort of recording device that transmits what it sees to somewhere. Batman was unable to determine where."

"I guess that's a solid clue that we are in the right place," Yusuke said. "And here I was starting to think we were off."

They started away down the cavern, following after Captain Atom's bluish glow. None paid any more attention to the alien spy camera as they followed Yusuke's Hollow detector once more and so, didn't see the stalked camera rise up and follow them and then slowly, extended its tendrils down the halls after them.

With a swing of his Zanpakutou, the wall opposite the team in the abandoned cellar blew apart, shooting sparking bits of rock down through the hidden cave entrance that had been apparently been covered. With a squeal of alien technology, what looked to be a monstrous alien with a single stalked eye and several thin tentacles sat up, its eye focusing on the alien intruders to the cave that it protected.

The Justice League froze for just a half second, surprised by the sheer unexpectedness of seeing this machine but Ichigo did not hesitate. Racing forward with better reaction time than the Flash, Ichigo jabbed his Zanpakutou straight through the eye, sending sparks of shattered electronics and broken circuits flying outward. The machine twitched and died, all of its tendrils flopping uselessly to the ground from where they had been waving as Ichigo pulled the tip of his Zanpakutou free, relaxing as the Leaguers stepped closer to examine the machine but kept it out and ready.

"I've seen this before," John said. "One of these were found in Bayville."

"I remember that," Flash said. "But why is another one here, in the middle of nowhere?"

"This place probably hadn't been abandoned for long," Vixen said, quietly angry at the thought. "At least we know we are in the right spot."

There was a sudden howl from deep in the cave, the sound that could only come from a Hollow. There was a rumbling sound from the cave and then with a speed that neither John nor Vixen could comprehend, a Hollow that ran on four thick legs charged at the group, its gapping maw open wide to bit.

Flash dashed over to John and Vixen, sweeping them out of the way of the oncoming Hollow as Ichigo lifted his Zanpakutou and blocked the charge, the large blade digging into the upper and lower teeth even as the Hollow continued blindly to try and bit as Ichigo halted the advance. With a simple and powerful swipe, Ichigo sliced downward and cut the mask that was the hallmark of the Hollow and the creature vanished into ash.

"_That's_ what we are fighting against?" Flash asked, his vocals a tad higher than they normally should have been.

"Probably not," Ichigo said. "These are just mindless souls that really have nothing more than base instincts. If the aliens are smart, they will have their own guards. These are just side effects."

"I don't think we have too much to worry about," John said, nodding toward Ichigo. "Seeing how easily you dealt with that thing, I am pretty confident that I will be able to handle things just as easily with my ring."

Ichigo looked over at Lantern skeptically but the power of his ring was unfamiliar to him. The Zanpakutou's had been designed specifically to deal with Hollows, even if the spirit within them changed based off of its user. He shrugged. "You better hope so. If there are more of them, I won't have time to constantly be saving your hide." There was another bellow, this time from multiple Hollows coming from deeper in the cave. Squaring his shoulders, John entered the cave first followed by Ichigo and Vixen, passing by the dead machine.

"I'll wait out here," Flash said, still sounding vaguely unnerved by what he had just seen. "Keep a guard on the entrance, you know?"

"Let's go, Flash," Vixen and John said together. With a reluctant gulp, Flash sped down the cave to catch up with the team, the rather odd sound of his rapidly moving feet bouncing off the cave walls as he went, sounding like a large group of skittering mice were all running at the same time.

The walls of the cave had a somewhat slimy look to them as moisture seeped through the walls, glinting in the light of John's ring and indicating that there was an underground reserve nearby. Maybe fifty feet down the cave entrance, the ground slopped downward sharply, eager to send unwary intruders off balance to slide down into what must be a trap. However, upon reaching the bottom of the tunnel, they found that this was not the case, merely splitting off into several different directions. There was another group of howls from off in the near distance, clearly coming from the right most tunnel. Clearly, secrecy was not the greatest concern.

John still took the lead, ready to meet the first of the Hollows to test his theory. He didn't have to wait long. As soon as the first line of Hollows caught the smell of a fresh soul, the entire group raced down the thin tunnel, pushing each other mindlessly out of the way as they all surged toward the heroes.

John lifted his right hand, his ring aglow and put up a shield. The Hollows penetrated right through the shields as if it was simply nothing more than a green glow in empty air. John didn't have time to dodge or bring up another defense as they lunged at him but a red flash dashed in, hitting the lead Hollow with extreme force thanks to momentum.

Ichigo dealt with the others as Flash hopped from foot to foot holding his right hand and swearing, even as the Hollow he had attacked stood back up from the wall. Rocks fell from its terrifying white mask and leapt back at John.

Forgoing any sort of fancy techniques, he blasted the Hollow square in the face, his will power and creativity making the attack appear as a giant power drill that worked its way through the center of the Hollows mask.

The Hollow continued to press onward, unconcerned with the man's attack even as he strained, resisting the Hollow as John gained mastery over this hatred filled ghost. Ichigo stood back, watching to see if yet another normal human could accomplish the same task that Caliwone had. Of course, this man wasn't normal. None in the League were, not even the Batman that he had heard so much about.

John dropped to one knee as the exertion of continuing to focus his will into his ring started to take its toll. Sensing the weakness of its prey, the Hollow pushed forward harder than before, roaring in delight as drool leaked out of its mouth.

John winced then gave one last roar as he pushed the drill through the mask. The Hollow dissolved in the air like ash fading into the wind. The mask was the last thing to fade, anger in its eyes as John looked at it, then fell to his knees, sweating and breathing hard.

_Outstanding_, Ichigo thought as he stepped over to John's side. Aloud, he said, "Do you understand now?"

"How do you do it so easily?" he asked between breaths. "With you, it is just one swing and its over."

"Shinigami's are also spirits, technically," Ichigo said, starting down the tunnel again. "We work in a different harmony than humans do. If it makes you feel better, Caliwone has about the same difficulty with them. Let's go. I think we are very close."

Princess Diana led the four around yet another corner only to reveal another split in the path. With a sigh, Diana chose yet another tunnel. They had been searching for nearly an hour, gradually sinking closer and closer to the Earth's core, it seemed. Not one Hollow had made itself known since they entered into the system. It was little eerie, especially with Yusuke's detector setting off a continual "ping...ping..." as they made their way.

"This is really sad," Dinah said at last. "Looking for dead ghosts with the help of a giant compass turned detector."

"By definition, ghosts are dead, ma'am," Captain Atom said, still providing the glow to which they walked.

"Shut up, Atom," Canary said.

"Why don't both of ya shut yer yaps?" Yusuke said. "These things may be dead but they can still hear us."

"Actually, that may not be a bad idea," Diana said. "That way we can at least get an idea of where they are and how thick their defenses are."

"I can help with that," Canary said, showing the first real signs of interest in this whole endeavor. Yusuke gestured her forward sarcastically but Diana reached out a hand lightly.

"Let's avoid the cave in scenario," she said. "Allow me."

Taking in a deep breath, Diana yelled. Small rocks fell from the ceiling all around them as the deafening bellow echoed down the many different corridors, ricocheting back and forth and into the darkened depths of the unknown.

"Feel better?" Canary asked, patting the Amazon on the back as she straightened.

"Much," Diana answered with a smile. "Feels like a great weight has been lifted off my chest."

A roar echoed back through the silence, shortly after sending Yusuke's detector into a fit of pings and alerts. Nothing could be seen as of yet that gave away their shapes, but the walls of the cave began shaking, harder and harder as the seconds ticked away.

"That worked," Yusuke said, handing off the detector to Boton as he let his own powers reach their battle points. Unlike Caliwone, however, Yusuke's energy did not flow uncontrollably around him at this level but was much more discrete unless one had the power to sense his energy. Nevertheless, he was just as lethal as the Saiyan against these foes.

The team braced themselves and a moment later, a group of Hollows, all misshapen and ugly burst forth from the darkness toward the heroes. Thunder echoed, making the heroes a bit disoriented in the narrow tunnel.

"Hera," Diana said under her breath as her eyes widened in complete disbelief at what she was seeing. Only in the dark underworld Hades ruled had she ever imagined such horrifying creatures, though true to form, they were no less demons of the dead than those in the underworld.

The first of the Hollows stretched out one bladed arm toward Diana who managed to block the attack with the bracelets on her wrists. Despite being one of the most powerful people in the entire Justice League, as well as the most powerful woman registered, Diana barely managed stay on her feet from the force of the attack. It was so powerful, far stronger than she would have guessed. How were these creatures possible?

Even as Diana fended off against the first of the Hollows, Captain Atom fired blasts of radiation at his own snake like Hollow and Yusuke tackled his own beast with a barrage of flying fists. Despite his familiarity with demons and the time he had spent with Ichigo, he still had a tough time killing these things without what he considered to be excessive force. Dispatching this Hollow would not be too difficult, but doing so without the use of his Spirit Gun and bringing the entire cave system down on top of them, would require unorthodox tactics.

The Hollow roared in anger as Yusuke continued to counter the mindless charges not having the basic intelligence to change tactics, the creature continued to blindly throw itself at its intended victim. He dodged another bite, countering with a powerful jab that sent his Hollow crashing into the one attacking Black Canary as she took in a deep breath to let out her supersonic scream.

"Use your head," Yusuke shouted.

"And what do you expect me to attack with?" Canary shouted back, spreading her arms to either side. "That's all I got for this." Yusuke didn't bother to answer as Diana threw her Hollow back the way it had come with a display of exceptional strength. That gave Yusuke an idea.

"Hey, Atom guy," Yusuke shouted from where Captain Atom was continuing to fry his enemy. "Pile them up."

Captain Atom looked in the direction Yusuke was tilting his head in then nodded. Letting up on his atomic attack and landed a strong punch that sent it to land with Diana's. With two swift strikes of his own, Yusuke had the others join the growing Hollow party and with a point of his finger, fired a Spirit Gun blast that lit up the Hollows, drowning their final roars in a thunderous crack as the blast swept them up and down the tunnel. With a flick of his wrist, Yusuke sent the blast straight up, tunneling upward. Without the sudden release of energy in the form of an explosion and the pure power that instantly annihilated any rocks or obstructions that fell in its way and burst upward into the empty sky. Once there, it released its potent energy that left no trace of the Hollows to fall back to the ground.

Diana patted Yusuke on the shoulder, impressed. "Great job."

"That's my Yusuke," Boton cheered, popping up from behind a large rock.

"Where to now?" Captain Atom asked.

"Seeing as how quickly those Hollows got here, I would say we aren't too far away," Diana said.

Several Hollow's later, Ichigo and his team came to a dead end in their cave that simply stopped as if a wall had been placed in the middle of the path. Of course, that was highly unlikely. More likely they had just taken a wrong turn at one of several conjunctions. In all the confusion of fighting the Hollows, it was certainly conceivable.

Ichigo looked around at the rest of the team, all looking over at him for direction since the Hollows were his specialty. Their faces were blank, as they waited, all bathed with the green tinted glow of Green Lantern that threw shadows across the sharpened edges of noses, cheek bones, and eyebrows .

"What now, Death God?" Vixen asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"We must have taken a wrong turn," Ichigo answered, swinging his blade over his shoulder and it reattached to his back. The tip of his blade scrapped the wall that had halted their search as he put it away. It was something that Ichigo had become accustomed to, wielding a sword as large as this one. That made him pause for a moment as he looked back at the black wall. A small scar blemished the smooth rock wall, sending a jagged shadow inside from Lantern's ring. The _only_ blemish.

"Can you make that ring show in a different color?" Ichigo asked John as he stepped back to look harder at the wall but with John's ring tinting everything a green, it was hard to tell if this wall was anything more than what it appeared to be.

John cocked his eyebrow. "Green is sort of default," he said. "Unfortunately, that's about all it can do."

"Not to worry," Vixen said, stepping past her former boyfriend and over to Ichigo and the wall. "Tell me what you need to see."

"I am trying to see if this wall is false or not," Ichigo said, giving Vixen a hard look.

"And you'd prefer to see it in normal light?" Vixen asked. "I can help with that." Ichigo gave her an annoyed and disbelieving look as she reached up to the medallion hanging around her neck. Her eyes changed slightly, her eyes shifting from human to cat-like slits as she stepped back to take in the full wall.

"Douse the light," she said and John immediately did, blanketing them all in near absolute darkness, the only hint of light coming from a light aura that John allowed to remain around him. Not even cats can see in absolute darkness and he had worked very close with Vixen for a long time. Even now that they were not really on speaking terms, he had not forgotten how to work with her powers.

"This wall is fake," Vixen concluded after a moment. "Give me a second and I will get us through it."

Although no sound preceded the sounds of Vixen digging through the wall, John could almost hear the sounds of sharpened claws. It was the work of only a couple of minutes for Vixen to dig her way through the false wall, sending shrapnel flying behind her.

Ichigo felt along the ground until he found a piece of the wall and picked it up, rubbing it with his fingers. He frowned, feeling the smooth edges and lack of the solid substance that rock had. It felt more like plastic than anything else.

He dropped the piece as he felt a sudden waft of air brush across his cheek as Vixen broke through. John's light flicked back on as Vixen stood next to the hole with a smug look on her face as the team past her to duck through the hole.

"Uh," John said as he was the last one through. "Nice job."

"I know," Vixen said without a smile. "Go on. Waiting on you, again."

John grimaced and ducked through. The tunnel continued to stretch a little further and then around a corner. At the end, the team happened onto what seemed to be an ancient human artifact. It was a clay pot, unbroken or chipped as if it had been dug up recently and set near the middle of the tunnel. A slightly peachy glow hung around it, even in Lanterns green light.

Flash reached down and picked it up to look at it. Immediately, Ichigo's senses flared only a second before the howling of Hollows reached his ears. Through the walls they burst, their maws gapping as they prepared to feast.

"BANKAI!"

Dark light burst around the group tinged with red highlights. Only Flash was able to follow Ichigo's movements, his speed far outreaching that of normal humans. To Flash, it seemed like almost slow motion as Ichigo's clothes were suddenly different as was his sword. No longer was it the massive weapon, not its blade was smaller, much more like a normal katana but the blade was all black.

Ichigo leapt up toward the first of the Hollows disintegrated into ash as the black blade cut clean through its horrifying mask before moving to the next Hollow. With an upper sweep, Ichigo dispatched another one, then an arching slice finished the last few Hollows.

Flash was speechless at the speed and accuracy of this Shinigami while now that the Hollows were gone, the other two of the team ducked, trying to avoid the attack. Flash was so stunned by the performance, that he didn't even see Ichigo drop the tip of his Zanpakutou neatly through the pottery, cutting it in half. Flash jumped as the piece separated itself in his hands and the peach colored aura around it faded away.

"The key is destroyed," Ichigo said, reverting back to his normal self. "Call that guy and make sure the barrier is down."

"Uh, right," John said. "We are going to need to go outside for that." They retraced their steps back up to the cellar than out to the deserted town full of plastic people.

"I still say this is a bomb testing site," Flash said, running over to one of the manikins and pushing at it with his finger.

"Not now, Flash," John said. "Fate?"

"One of the barriers has fallen," Fate replied instantly. "Return here when you can. I must return my attention to the other teams. They seem to be having more difficulty than you experienced, in a number of different ways." There was a click from the comm. and Fate vanished from the communication. Slightly non-plussed, John motioned for the rest of the team to return to the Javelin.

Diana had been right. Another half mile down the tunnels, they entered a much larger cave. Here, the ceiling lifted to what felt to be sky like height after the time they had spent in the caves. It rounded off much like a bubble in a tube with softly rounded walls that glowed like a painter's illustration as Captain Atom's light reflected off the stone as he entered.

All were still on high alert, suspecting that a full onslaught of Hollows to swarm in on them now that they had no place to go. However, no roars warned of their approach, nor any thunderous footsteps from their oversized bodies gave hint. Granted, several of the Hollows they had faced had been airborne so the silence was as good as meaningless.

Yusuke seemed the most unconcerned of the group, keeping his eyes in front of him and walking toward the center of the large opening. There was a soft sound just then, like a sniffle or something slithering quietly against the ground. Yusuke's finger was up instantly, looking like a child playing cops and robbers as he threatened with his index finger. It was absurd but anyone who knew Yusuke knew that this was a threat best never ignored but his face drained of color, his heart falling below his stomach as Captain Atom's light washed over what had made the noise.

It was a child of no more than three standing in the middle of the domed cave and glowing a very faint peach color, unnoticeable until Yusuke was right atop him. His heart remained at the bottom of his stomach as his mind drew to the inevitable conclusion that this child, no matter how unlikely it seemed, was the key.

"Someone call that Fate guy," Yusuke said, drawing the attention of the rest of the team. "I think I found his key."

To be continued...

One barrier down but now, in order to bring the second barrier out of commission, will Yusuke and team have to kill this child? And what of the alien camera that they passed on the way in? What significance does that hold?

What about the three heroes we have not heard from of late, Caliwone, Helena, and Superman? What challenges will they face with the third and final key? Stay tuned...

Thanks Kobez2.0 for your continual support and Beta Reads! You rock!

Keep up the reviews everyone! You are making me blush ;P

Thank you all,

The Dark Prince


	11. Chapter 10: The Final Key

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 10: The Final Key******

Caliwone raced across the skies, intent on leaving his companions behind him but Helena was as fast as he was. Kal-El was faster than a speeding bullet and kept up with them just fine. More than fine. It was annoying to see the Man of Steel keeping pace with him without breaking so much as a sweat. Of course, Caliwone wasn't trying _that_ hard. He had not yet transformed but for the relatively short distance they were traveling, it wasn't necessary.

From the direction they were heading, it was pretty obvious to Caliwone that they were returning to the place Caliwone had battled the first of the alien dregs. They must have something to do with the placement of the keys, it would seem. If that was the case, then the place Yusuke and team went to had to have been visited by the third, mysteriously unaccounted for, alien.

Caliwone snorted in contempt as he pictured the alien cowards hiding behind its three layers of barriers, thinking itself safe from his decisive hand. The others that followed after him would be mere witnesses as he did the work. He much preferred Kal-El that way, watching as Caliwone proved himself time and time again to be the better warrior, the strongest fighter.

With a smirk, Caliwone burst forward through the sky, trailing a light blue streak behind him as he raced of in anticipation. Since his reluctant alliance with the Justice League, he had not taken a life, once his stock and trade as a Saiyan Elite. His recent battle with the first alien, he had gotten the taste back. It was like a friend that had gone missing had just paid him a visit. It was very nice indeed.

The other two kept pace with him, expressing their disapproval that obviously fell on deaf ears. In Superman's mind, Fate gave the signal and the three descended to the ground, landing in the midst of the very forest Caliwone had once trained that seemed so long ago. Even after all these years of being on Earth, the forest still held a calming effect over the warrior.

He drew in a deep breath as Kal-El and Helena began to look around. He heard Fate's words just as well as the others as he tried to direct him, but he ignored him for the time being. He clenched his fist tightly and with another deep breath, turned his attention to finding the key.

The cave in which Fate directed them was not too far away from where Fate had had them land with a mental note to the team that the other keys had been located inside subterranean tunnels. It seemed the aliens had a rather limited sense of imagination.

Being careful to not run into any unseen barriers, Caliwone lead the group downward into the cave system. Light was no problem at all as they turned corner after corner beyond the reach of the natural light. Helena supplied the light as her red tinted aura sent a wavery glow dancing about the jagged walls and raised rock outcroppings.

"It's quiet," Superman commented softly as he looked around for any threats.

"Please spare us the 'too quiet' line," Helena said off handedly.

"I guess it is a little too obvious," the Boy Scout replied with a grin. "Hard to resist though." Helena shot Superman a quick smile over her shoulder and continued walking with Caliwone dutifully ignoring their unnecessary chatter.

"You need to relax," Helena said, her voice slipping toward the tone of command that she had learned to use when talking to Caliwone. Anything else he seemed to be dismissed immediately as an ignorant and annoying noise.

"I am relaxed," Caliwone said. "Why don't you shut your face and focus on finding these Hollows." Helena's jaw muscle tensed slightly but she let the moment pass. When they had been at the first cave, the Hollows had immediately attacked them as soon as their presence had been made aware.

She was just about to let out a yell to draw out the sleeping Hollows when there was a sudden flash in the back of her mind. Caliwone stiffened as well as he sensed the first of the Hollows as well. An evil smile spread across his lips and he took off down the cave in a flash of blue energy. Helena was right behind him with Superman immediately behind her.

The tail end of one Hollow, this one insect like, was just slipping around the corner of one turn, apparently unaware of their approach. Caliwone drove a booted foot at the base of the Hollows skull like mask, sending it crashing to the ground. It let out a howl as it pushed itself to its feet.

Helena slid under the standing Hollow, firing a blast under its chin that snapped its head back, a perfect set up for Superman to rush in from behind and snap its neck. The Hollow hit the ground again with another Howl as it pushed itself back to its feet and with abruptness that surprised the team, the Hollow vanished in a black cloud.

"That's new," Caliwone said, his warrior's instincts telling him that this wasn't over. "Stay on your guard."

The words had barely left his mouth when the Hollow reappeared directly behind Helena, already in mid lunge, its skull like mouth gaping wide. Helena turned in surprise, having no time to react as the Hollow clamped onto her right shoulder its cavernous mouth completely engulfing her arm. Blood spurted outward as the spirit beast dug deeper, trying to reach her inner spirit through its teeth but she managed to press down on the lower jaw with her free left hand and upwards with her right on the row of upper teeth pressing down, prying it from her shoulder.

Superman started forward to help but the earlier howls of the Hollow had attracted the hoard. Appearing as the first Hollow had, another lunged at Superman, aiming to make a snack out of the Man of Steel. Kal-El caught the attack with his bare hands, keeping the teeth from closing around his head.

"How do you kill these things again?" Kal-El asked Caliwone as he struggled to keep death from eating him whole.

"Destroy its mask," Caliwone answered, leaping back from the two Hollows that were attacking him.

"Easier said than done," Helena shouted, wincing as pain shot through her right arm as she struggled to keep the Hollow from winning. "Any pointers?"

"None," Caliwone retorted, firing a blast that seemed to have little effect on the beast and dodged a lunge from the second.

"Perfect," Helena muttered. Her red aura burst into gold as she transformed herself, no longer able to hold back. The inside of her Hollow's mouth glowed briefly before she sent a blast cutting through the Hollows mask from the inside out. She stumbled forward slightly as the Hollow passed from existence.

Superman grimaced. Just like Caliwone, Helena had a flare for the dramatics. He struggled with the equivalent strength of the Hollow for a minute more before, with an extreme effort, tore the upper jaw of the Hollow away from the bottom. Bits of Hollow teeth flew, shattered from the mask before they and the Hollow vanished.

He turned quickly to see Caliwone spin away from one of the Hollows and kicking it hard into the stone wall. The cave shuttered as Caliwone dodged the second and struck the first Hollow again. Kal-El could see Caliwone wince in slight pain from the impact against the mask, the effect of a normal man trying to punch through a steel wall. But Caliwone was nothing if not creative.

He maneuvered himself so that one of the Hollows swung a needle like arm to spear him just as the second Hollow came up from behind. Unlike Caliwone's physical attacks, the pointed arm of the Hollow pierced right through the others mask, sending it reeling away for a moment with a howl before dissipating into black ash.

"Its mask is weak if you attack it from inside," Helena shouted over to the Elite as Caliwone now faced the only remaining Hollow.

Caliwone didn't respond but immediately accepted Helena's words. Charging forward just as the Hollow opened its large mouth, Caliwone leapt inside, firing a blast of blue energy that pierced through the skull and shattered the mask. Caliwone disappeared inside the Hollow for a moment before the beast vanished, revealing Caliwone still gliding through the air to come to a skidding halt on the stone ground. With only the slightest nod in Helena's direction, he continued down the tunnel.

Smiling against her will with quiet smugness, she followed with Superman right next to her.

Yusuke held the kid up by the back of his shirt as the small boy wailed, raining tears down on the rock floor. He gave an uncomfortable look over at Diana and Dinah. The kid reminded him of boy he had given his life for when that ball had bounced into the street in front of that speeding car. Without thinking, he had leapt out into the street and pushed the kid out of the way and been struck by the car himself. Lucky for him, or unlucky as he constantly thought, that event had lead him to meeting Boton and Koenma and gotten his life back with many added bonuses and a new job as Spirit Detective.

Dinah walked over and took the child from Yusuke gently. Shushing the child softly, she rocked him until he quieted and Boton made faces at him until he started to laugh.

Yusuke shook his head. "I've never been good with kids," he said as Captain Atom stepped next to him and watched the two women fawn over the child. "I mean, what's the point?"

Captain Atom gave Yusuke an odd look and moved away again. Just then, Yusuke noticed Diana standing off to the side, watching the other women play with the child, looking uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with you?" Yusuke asked her.

"On Themyscira, we do not have children like the women do in man's world," she said.

"What, like an island full of women or something?" Yusuke snickered.

"Yes," Diana said without smiling. "We are all immortal warriors and protected by the Gods. I was molded by my mother out of clay and the Gods breathed life into me."

Yusuke felt his smile falter, not sure if Wonder Woman was joking or not. "Whatever," Yusuke said. "The problem is, what do we do now? I mean, the runt is the key and we have to destroy it, right?"

Diana looked a little disturbed as the possibilities ran through her head. On one hand, the fate of the world was at risk unless the barriers were brought down. On the other, she and the League could never condone killing. She reached up to her ear.

"Fate, we have a little problem," she said. "The key is a young human child."

"I see," Fate said. "This is an unfortunate situation. Of course, we cannot allow any harm to come to this child."

"Of course not," Diana said. "But what can we do?"

Fate was silent for a moment as he considered. "Perhaps," Fate said after some thought. "Perhaps the reason the keys are spaced across such great distances is because the closer a key is to the barrier, the weaker the barrier becomes. I have run across this scenario before."

"It is worth a try," Diana said. "We will be back soon." She shut the comm. off and cleared her throat. The two women paid no attention as they continued to make the child laugh. She tried again with the same affect. With an irritated sigh, Diana walked over to the two and grabbed the boy by the back of its diaper.

The child immediately began crying again as Diana informed the others that they were going to bring the child back to Fate then handed him back to the women, to which the crying immediately stopped. Shaking her head in disgust, she started back up the cave and back to the Javelin. No one noticed the alien machine quietly watching them and the child and shortly after, transmitted its findings back to the alien base.

The three supers eventually came to a large cavern, several stories high, deep underground filled with rock formations, dripping water from nowhere in a steady cadence. Small puddles of water lay in the divots and trenches that were spattered about, highlighted by Helena's golden glow. Erie shadows stretched out from the rocks, throwing disconcerting shadows over the ground and far away walls. All in all, it was a really creepy place.

Caliwone came to a stop, looking around warily. Helena felt it, too, stopping next to him and nursing her shoulder absently. Not a flash of sixth sense, but a foreboding feeling that they were being watched by something evil. The two stood, shoulder to shoulder, and swept their eyes around.

"What is it," Kal-El asked, looking around as well but having no idea what he was looking for.

Caliwone snorted at Kal-El's lack of warrior's sense. "We are being watched," he said.

"I'll take a look." Superman sent his gaze around, searching the cavern with his x-ray vision.

Caliwone sent Superman a glower over his shoulder, but said nothing. After a moment or two, Superman reported that he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Let's keep moving then," Helena said and started forward but then stopped as she noticed Caliwone was not moving with her.

"I trust my instincts far more than I trust Kal-El's eyes," he said his own eyes darting around the cave. "There is something here."

"Caliwone," Superman said softly, resting a hand on the Saiyans shoulder. Caliwone was too distracted to even notice the Man of Steel touching him, something he would normally never allow. That made Superman frown. Whatever Caliwone was perceiving, he meant it. "I believe you," Superman said. Nodding to Helena, he sent his gaze around again in case he had missed whatever it was.

Helena snorted silently. She knew what Caliwone was feeling alright but she couldn't see the sense in standing still. Of course, Caliwone was the warrior, she a fighter, and Caliwone was the one with far more experience in this sort of thing than she had.

She looked around and in the deepest corner of the cave, she saw something. It looked to be a white cone sticking up out of the ground, maybe four feet high and glowing a diffuse peach. She looked hard around the area in case that was where they had been feeling the eyes on them. Then it clicked in her mind. The key?

"I think I have something," Helena said and motioned to where the glowing cone sat. "I don't see anything else around it but is it possible that's the key?"

"I don't know," Superman said, frowning and looking hard at it. "If I had to guess, I'd say yes. I can't see it with any of my other visions which means it is not fully from the Earth."

"Maybe its lead lined?" Helena suggested.

"If it was, I would still be able to see it," he answered. "Lead prevents me from seeing through it but this is more like it simply isn't there."

"Hologram?" Caliwone asked.

"I don't think so. I am not detecting any source of energy that would power it." He reached up and touched his ear. "Fate, I think we may have found the key but we aren't sure."

"Ichigo's team has just destroyed theirs," Fate responded. "They said they identified it by a shimmering peach glow around it."

"That sounds good enough for me," Superman said. "Anything else special about it?"

"Their key was an ancient human pot," Fate answered. "It was heavily defended by the Hollow creatures but Ichigo was able to destroy them with relative ease."

"Alright, we will be careful," Superman said and signed off. "That seems to be it but Fate said Ichigo's team ran into resistance."

"No problem," Caliwone said. Before Kal-El could stop him, Caliwone had transformed and fired a blast of energy at the cone with enough power to level a small city block.

"You idiot, you're going to cause a cave in," Helena shouted, grabbing Caliwone by the shirt front. The blast detonated on target, sending a wave of super heated air flowing past them, blowing over stalactites and stalagmites in its path but the cavern itself seemed to sustain the blast quite well.

Caliwone slapped Helena's hand away with one of his own. "You continually underestimate me," Caliwone said. "No one ever thinks that perhaps I know what I am doing."

"In this case, I don't think it was enough," Superman said. The cone was still there without even a scratch on it. "Maybe it's protected by another barrier?"

"Let's find out," Caliwone said. His aura blazed around him and he clapped his hands together in front of him.

"Isn't that a little over the top?" Superman asked, sounding a little nervous as he recognized Caliwone's signature attack.

The ground under their feet gave a rumble and rolled like a wave in the ocean once. All eyes turned toward Caliwone, disapproving but Caliwone looked confused. The ripple had not come from him. Following the path the ripple had come from, it could have come from no place other than the key itself.

As they watched, the ground humped upwards under the key. Rock split and crumbled as the largest Hollow Caliwone had ever seen seemed to sit up from where it had been laying. The cone was now revealed to be part of the Hollow's nose, the first time Caliwone had also ever seen a Hollow with a nose in its mask. The rest of the Hollow was blacker than the darkness that surrounded it.

Caliwone grabbed Kal-El's cape and flew backwards, yanking Superman along with him. Helena apparently had the same idea and was close by as the huge head, nearly the size of a city bus, continued to rise, giving voice to its trademarked howl.

"Oh my gosh!" Helena said, landing next to Caliwone watching the Hollow, fully aglow by the peach color. "This _entire_ thing is the key?"

"It is a Menos Gillian," Caliwone said, remembering the stories Ichigo had told him. From what he understood, these things lacked even base level intelligence and no agility to speak of. "They're tanks. Kind of like the evolved form of a Hollow. Unlike normal Hollows, this thing has an energy attack called Cero. Very strong. Be careful of it when you engage."

"And how exactly are we suppose to beat this thing?" Helena asked over another roar from the Menos.

"You keep hitting it until it breaks," Caliwone said. He burst forward as the Gillian pulled one enormous skeletal hand out of the ground to help push itself up. Using all of him momentum, Caliwone drove a sidekick straight into the space between the Gillian's eyes. The force of the blow rocked the Gillian's head back but did not so much as chip its bleach white mask.

He leapt off the gigantic Hollow, back flipping down to the ground in front of the Hollow's hand as it continued to push itself up unaffected. Changing tact, he attacked the hand. With one powerful kick, Caliwone knocked the Gillian's arm to the side.

The Gillian roared as it fell, landing on its chin awkwardly. Superman and Helena both streaked in and punched it in the same spot Caliwone had. While Superman opted to continue to punch away, Helena dropped back. Caliwone dropped as Helena began her attack. He watched her, having never seen this attack before, as she reached her hands forward as if gripping a large beach ball, one at the twelve o'clock point, the other at the six. She rotated her hands around clockwise, leaving a yellow streak in the air in front of her. Reaching back with her right hand, she slapped the circle in the center with her palm and fire erupted, contained in the diagram.

It wasn't real fire, Caliwone knew, but perfectly controlled energy that licked and danced like flames. Despite Caliwone's disdain for the half blood Saiyan, he had to admit that this was an interesting attack so far. He continued to watch as Helena brought both hands up and fired a blast straight into the center of the flaming diagram. Her energy burst through the other side in smaller and more powerful blasts that spread out in the air and converged onto the Hollow.

Superman dashed aside as the attack came in, the Gillian not seeming to notice Kal-El's efforts as it tried to push itself up again. The Hollow disappeared behind the attack and smoke that stray shots kicked up as they hit the ground and rock outcroppings. Helena continued to pour energy into the diagram until she felt it safe to stop.

Caliwone smirked slightly as the Gillian forced one of its skeletal human looking legs up out of the ground on the other side of the cave. It gave another howl as its head burst through the smoke, the blank expression on the still fully intact mask nearly enough to send shivers down Caliwone's spine.

Superman wasn't doing much better. He looked at this Hollow in absolute awe. How could creatures like this exist? He shook his head, trying to clear it from the doubt that was settling down on him. This thing had to be vanquished in order to save his adopted home.

He raced forward as the Gillian pulled its other leg out from the ground and punched for all he was worth. His blow struck with such ferocity that the Gillian actually slid backwards through the rock leaving a great fissure in the cavern floor. Before it had come to a complete halt, the Gillian swung its other hand up from underneath itself and slapped Superman across the cavern and deep out of sight into the rock wall.

Helena and Caliwone both raced in from opposite directions, both firing blasts that would have demolished cities but the Gillian shrugged them off as if they were minor annoyances that were not worth its notice. Caliwone landed back on the ground and lowered his right hand to the ground just as the Gillian managed to get to its knees. Blue energy sparked and arced around it as his Dragon Twister grew into existence.

Helena had taken up position directly over the Gillian her right arm ready to lose her Noventa Canon. Without warning, the Hollow stood fully erect, catching Helena by surprise. The broad forehead caught Helena full on, driving her up and up, through the roof of the cave. She felt the sharp bites of rock cutting into her as the Gillian continued to drive her up. She could feel the blood seeping down her back and staining the bleach white mask. Something hard buried in the rock slammed against her head, nearly making her lose consciousness and lost her transformation as the Gillian broke through the ground, through the trees and into the open air.

Still struggling to stay conscious, she dropped through the air off of the Gillian and toward the ground, unable to right herself. The Hollow made one last howl before red energy collected in front of its mouth. By the time Helena had regained her full consciousness, she didn't have time to do more than bring her arms up to defend as the Gillian's Cero attack lanced down at her.

The attack caught her full force, a red spotlight of destructive force and pride of the Hollow race, driving her back down, through the trees and rock and back into the cavern, burying her deep in the rock with a painful yell near the small lake they had noted earlier. The ground cracked and split under the force as the light faded and water began to pour in, a trickle at first, then the broken ground gave way and the water poured into the new crater.

Caliwone didn't hesitate and shot up through hole the Cero had just made to continue the attack while Superman dove into the water to play hero. He erupted through the hole just as the huge Gillian pulled itself awkwardly out of the hole to stand many times taller than the highest tree. Now seeing it in true light, Caliwone got his first real look the Menos. Below its white mask, white spikes jutted out around the area that Caliwone would have considered its upper chest, shoulder, and upper back of its otherwise entirely black body. The body itself waved slightly, its arms hidden inside its body like it was a robe.

The Gillian turned its blank attention to Caliwone and opened its mouth and red light gathered together. Caliwone clapped his hands together and pulled them apart and fired his attack just as the Gillian launched its own Cero attack.

The two met in mid air, ripping apart the forest below them but for once, Caliwone did not care. From his point of view, all he could see was his own blue blast but his senses could tell that he was overpowering the attack. He grinned tightly.

Helena was buried deep in the ground, the water completely covering her. Superman grabbed one of her hands, the ever Boy Scout minded hero not sure where else to grab her, and flew out of the water. He set her down as she coughed and gagged as she rested on hands and knees.

"Are you alright?" Superman asked in concern as he saw the blood and gaping wounds on her back under the severely torn clothing.

She pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. "I'm fine," she grunted. She shook her head once more to clear out the last of the cobwebs then transformed once again, her hair flared outward into gold with red streaks of blood giving it an off tint. As she became more aware of herself, she glanced down to see that, her cloths had been shredded from the attack but it still hung on well enough to keep the important parts of her form covered, which she was very relieved to see.

She took off up through the hole she had just come down through in time to see Caliwone battling the Gillian's Cero. As she raced forward, Caliwone gave a final push and his Burst Rush overpowered the Cero. The Gillian took a step back as the power of the attack hit, uprooting a line of trees as it did so.

"Distract it," Caliwone snapped as Superman made it up through the hole. Without question, Superman raced in and began battering at the Gillian's body while Helena, rather reluctantly, attacked the Hollows mask once more.

Caliwone lowered his arm again and started collecting the power for his Dragon Twister. Lighting arced around his hand, growing in ferocity, occasional lancing down to the forest, ripping smaller gashes through the trees like a lightning strikes. He didn't even notice as the Gillian fired another Cero blast that caught Superman, just missing Helena.

He looked up slowly as he felt the attack complete at the distracted Gillian. His grin spread into an eager smile, his golden hair tinted blue from his attack. He raced forward, flying as fast as he could. The Gillian prepared another Cero blast that was aimed directly at Caliwone. From the Gillian's right, Superman and Helena flew in and struck its face together hard enough turn its face to the side as Caliwone closed in.

The Cero lanced outward to strike the ground less than a mile away from the far off city. Caliwone was on top of the Gillian and drove his right fist into the mask. Light blazed around his fist as his attack struggled to break through the super tough mask. Bits of mask chipped away and flew past Caliwone as he pushed forward, refusing to be detoured. The Gillian gave another mournful howl, turning to face the threat.

The mask cracked at the center of the attack, then cracked more. Superman and Helena hovered far away, watching in awe as Caliwone pushed on. What he was doing was simply impossible. Helena started forward to help but Superman put a hand on her naked shoulder and shook his head.

"Let him do it," Superman said giving her a smile. "Besides, there isn't really anything either one of us can do right now."

Helena scowled but knew he was right. The two watched for the last few seconds as Caliwone pushed hard and finally broke through the Gillian's tough mask. With an explosion of dazzling light, the mask twisted and distorted and finally shattered with one last howl before it turned to ash, falling toward the ground and vanishing before it reached it.

Caliwone breathed heavily as he lowered his hand and dropped to the ground. Helena and Superman followed after him, ready to give support if needed but Caliwone landed solidly on his feet and brushed a few bits of ash off his shoulder. He gave Helena a careful look up and down as she landed in her very tattered cloths and smirked slightly as she placed a defiant fist on her hip with an equally defiant look on her face.

Superman shook his head as he smiled over at Caliwone. "Incredible," he said. "Every time I see you fight, you get stronger and stronger. I don't know how you do it."

"You should know me better than that," Caliwone said. "Be sure that the barrier is down."

Superman nodded and touched his ear. "Fate?"

"The second barrier is down," Fate said. "Yusuke's group has run into an...interesting...predicament. The barrier should be down soon, however. Please, return to the cave here when you are finished."

"Understood," Superman said and clicked off his comm. "That's it. Let's head back." He glanced over at Helena as he turned. "Maybe we should stop and get you some new cloths first, though. Justice League treat."

Helena gave a soft smirk, clearly intending to take advantage of the League's generosity as much as she could. "Appreciated," she said, ignoring Caliwone's snort. As a team, the three supers took off, leaving the destroyed forest behind without much of a second thought. Out of one tree, a stalked camera like eye retracted into the leaves of the tree, its several tendrils wrapped around the branches to keep it from falling. Its sophisticated technology whirred inside as it sent its recording of the battle to the alien's main base.

To be continued...

What a battle! I though Helena was going to be killed for sure while I was writing this. Lol. And Caliwone is sure showing his stuff a bit.

Only one alien left now but what is going on with those recording devices that are identical to the one found in the Brotherhood's house at the end of Book Three? Something sinister I suspect.

Thanks Kobez2.0. You are the best!

Please do not forget to review!

**Fyi to all Dragon Sagas fans!**

Chapter 4 of the comic is now in production. Hopefully, it will be done in June some time at the latest. I am accepting donations towards getting the comic done because it does cost a pretty penny. Any interested in helping out, please contact me by PM (Private Messege) or emailing me.

Talk to you soon!


	12. Chapter 11: Cave of Despair

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans. X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 11: Cave of Despair******

Helena turned slightly as she looked in the mirror at the red dress the young woman had insisted was designed for her. The wounds on her back had stopped bleeding by now, compliments to the Saiyan blood in her veins otherwise she would never had dared try on such clothing. It was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. It was a red sleeveless Chinese Cheongsam, a tradition dress worn in the area that was very form fitting yet not revealing. It flowed gracefully down to mid shin with two slits starting about mid thigh that allowed her to walk mostly unobstructed.

Beautifully designed leaves were embroidered into the dress in soft gold and a lighter red that blended masterfully into the elegance. From the center of the neck, a three button release that allowed her to slip into the dress without tearing it apart stretched to the right side and just below her armpit giving the dress just enough of an off center yet stylish look to make the Cheongsam the most beautiful dress Helena had ever worn.

The problem was, she was about ready to go back into battle and this was made almost entirely of silk.

"No, no, Chinese silk very strong," the young woman insisted in passable English, a somewhat hungry look on her face as the large price tag dangled lightly in the back. "Go to battle with many women for man in this."

Helena gave the younger woman a look, having no interest at all in going to battle for a man in this, or any other dress. As far as she was concerned, men could come to her. She was happy enough on her own without seeking love out. Maybe one day Mr. Right would show up and sweep her off her feet but she severely doubted it. Not many men liked a woman stronger than them. Her mind briefly flashed over to Caliwone who was being forced by Superman to stay and wait for her to finish, but then immediately away with disgust. Slade had created the new her with pieced together DNA samples of him. If anything, the two of them were as close to half siblings as any two people could be.

She purposely turned her attention away from those thoughts and back to the dress. There would be no way she could fight in something like this but for the sake of giving the men something to do, she walked out of the American style changing room and over to them.

Superman looked up and smiled, nodding his approval of the slim dress. "I like it a lot," he said, standing and ignoring the gawking onlookers that stared through the glass at him while several police stood at the front door, keeping the people out. "I may have to get one for Lois one of these days. I think it would look almost as good on her."

Helena gave him a warm smile, surprised to find herself blushing lightly at the unexpected compliment from the Man of Steel. She rolled her eyes as Caliwone glanced up briefly and went back to his quiet contemplation of the floor with his arms crossed and looked back down at the dress. If this dress was as durable as the young woman said, and she was sure that it wasn't, she had to change one thing. Reaching down to the slit on her right side, she ripped it up to just above her hip.

The young woman nearly passed out as Helena reached around and did the same on her left. Caliwone snickered as both he and the Boy Scout caught a quick glimpse of something green under the dress and Superman blushed slightly and turned politely away.

Helena didn't really care and lifted a leg and quickly fired off a few test kicks to be sure the slit on the side was high enough to allow for movement. She looked down again, seeing how it looked now. _Not bad,_ she thought to herself. "I'll take it."

Three girls ran over, one started fanning the young sales girl while the other two ran over to Helena with needles and bits of thin ribbon. Working quickly, they tied off the rips so that they would not rip any further. Caliwone was snickering almost non-stop now as Superman handed the clerk a League charge card while Helena fixed her hair into a high pony tail. The trio left to applause, cheers, and a few cat calls that Helena responded to with a smile.

They made one more stop in Japan before they made it back to the cave on Caliwone's request to keep Urahara Kisuke informed as to what was happening and was introduced to an artist, and story writer from Kiyosu, Aichi, Japan that Kisuke apparently had much respect for. The balding gentleman shook Superman's and Helena's hand but Caliwone stood aloof, not wanting to get involved and quietly cursing all the time they were wasting. After a short time, they departed to head back to the cave where Fate and the other two teams were already waiting for them.

As they flew, Caliwone kept noticing Helena struggling to get use to the way her dress was flapping about from the wind, occasionally reaching back to readjust it. Caliwone smirked again and slowly dropped back, letting Helena start to get ahead of him but Superman grabbed his shoulder and forced him forward with a stern look.

"What?" Caliwone asked innocently.

"You know what." Kal-El said. "Keep your eyes in front of you."

"They were going to be."

"And keep her behind you."

Helena sent Caliwone an amused look, apparently taking no offense to his not so subtle devious intentions. Very soon, they had all made it back to America and dropped down lightly outside of the cave.

Caliwone glanced around to see how the others had faired. None seemed hurt but for whatever reason the blue haired woman, Boton, and Black Canary were now entertaining a child.

"What's with the kid?" Helena asked Fate as she finished straightening her dress, much to Flash's pleasure.

"That is the complication Yusuke's team has encountered," Fate said gravely. "It would seem that the alien has somehow turned this human child into the third key."

Superman looked over at the happy child in horror. "So we have no way to get inside unless we kill him?"

"No," Fate said, resting a hand on the larger man's shoulder. "As the boy came closer to the barrier, the weaker the barrier has become. Now I would imagine that any one of us could destroy the barrier but we wanted to wait on you to arrive first."

"A wise decision," Caliwone said. "After all, it will just be the three of us going in. No need for any of you to waste the energy."

"What?" Yusuke roared. "Look here, alien, you didn't drag me across the planet just to sit back and watch the action."

"You did your part," Caliwone said. "You can go back home if you want to or you can stay and be ready in case something unexpected happens."

Ichigo was glowering too, having been pulled out of class, literally, by Caliwone. Unlike Yusuke, however, Ichigo understood tactics. Caliwone may not be good at relaying tactics but he understood them as few others could.

"Thanks to you, I am sure school will be out for a few days," Ichigo said dryly. "I've got nothing better to do."

"We just need some of you to watch the area, stop anything strange from escaping, that sort of thing," Helena added. "We don't really know what we will be facing in there so be on your guard."

"Superman?" Diana asked, looking to Superman for reassurance.

He nodded, giving the ok. With what he had seen from Caliwone in the last two days, he honestly didn't think there was a possible situation that he couldn't handle. Besides, Caliwone had worked in teams before and knew how to pick the correct people for a job, even if he made the selection process seem more insulting than was strictly necessary.

"Good," Caliwone said. The three headed back into the cave, much slower than their previous flight in. A half mile in they came to the barrier, now glowing a weak peach color around the edges in the darkened tunnel, reminiscent of where they had been not so long ago in Asia. Caliwone stepped back and motioned Superman forward to break down the barrier.

"You know that as soon as he breaks down the shield, every Hollow in here will come after us," Helena commented as she stood to the side of the tunnel. "We don't want to waste energy if we do not half to."

"I will deal with them when they come," Caliwone said.

Helena pursed her lips, not sure what he had planned that could deal with any number of Hollows more than two on his own but decided not to question. If he got himself killed, it wasn't her fault.

Caliwone lowered his hand down and the now familiar blue light blotted out his golden brilliance as his Dragon Twister formed in his hand. Helena watched this with extreme interest, having a chance to see that attack that had brought down that Menos Gillian they had just fought. The energy stung her mind, giving her the distinct impression of razor sharp edges, energy controlled and filed down to the sharpest point imaginable with a concentration and strength that could penetrate any object. She had never even conceived such an attack was possible, completely out of the realm of reality, yet here Caliwone was, holding it in one hand. Or rather, the attack was holding his hand.

She frowned slightly as she looked at it. Granted she had been a small distance away when she had seen it last but this time it looked a little different, more coiled up like a spring, more complex and far more difficult to control. Whatever Caliwone was about to do, it was a spin-off of his Dragon Twister.

He nodded to Kal-El, showing that he was ready. Lifting one massive fist, Superman smashed through the shield. Roars opened up immediately as the barrier broke, echoing down the tunnel toward them. Thunderous footsteps told them that they were on their way.

Caliwone waited, not wanting to strike until they were close enough for him to see the holes in their bodies. The energy arced and spit in his hand, wanting desperately to be used, to tear apart its victims. The ground under the blue light cracked and rose around him and just when it seemed that he could no longer fend off the blood lust the attack demanded, the Hollows appeared, racing in with wild abandon.

Caliwone leapt forward and threw his arm out. With a flash of light, the Dragon Twister lanced outward, twisting and spiraling like a tornado. Rocks broke free from the walls, ceiling, and floor as it past, ripping them free and adding them to the raging turmoil. The attack howled with pleasure like a raging banshee as it streaked out, whipping up a ferocious wind in the enclosed tunnel.

The sharpened tip of the otherwise thick tornado pierced easily through the mask of the first Hollow in line, shredding its mask in a circular motion before curving to pierce the second Hollow, then the third and forth. The cave shuddered as the attack brushed against the wall as Caliwone directed it toward a Hollow that was trying to escape but the attack caught it and with a final bellow, the last of the Hollows faded from existence.

The attack faded, the hurricane winds dropping to a dull breeze, then to nothing at all. Caliwone shook his hand out lightly as he strode forward, purposely ignoring the stunned looks and dropped jaws from the other two. He knew what they were thinking and yes, he _was_ the best warrior this or any other world had ever seen. At least in the last six thousand years, that is. His mind flicked back to Other World and Prince Vegeta and Kakorate, wondering if he had lived up to their legends yet.

In the belly of the great cave system, a shadowed hulk stood in front of a row of alien computer monitors and equipment that it had built by hand while hidden on this planet. It watched carefully as the three extraordinary beings walked ever closer to its lair through the use of the smaller scale spy bots it had developed after the larger ones had been discovered, first by a small group of abnormal human mutants, then by these oddly dressed beings.

Its eyes narrowed, considering the information it had gathered. Somehow, they were strong enough to defeat the smaller slaves, no minor feat for what they had observed of this planets normal inhabitants, and they had done so without any being killed. They had also managed to get past the sentries with the bone masks it had coerced into guarding the keys that the last slave had made.

However, his drones had noted compassion amongst these beings, caring for one another. Even now, they refused to kill that human child that was the third key. Of course, through that compassion they had found a solution but the thought of such emotions nearly made its stomachs roll. He had seen enough as it was. This planets strongest had gathered here at his lair and the three most powerful among them were headed inside. In a mere moments, they would be within its inner perimeter.

The shadowed hulk clicked its teeth together, an odd sound as the several jaws did so off sync, and turned to see the last of the slaves waiting for its masters orders in the dim darkness. The hulk bared its several sets of teeth unconsciously and motioned for it to it leave.

"Go," it said, its language harsh on the ears in an atmosphere. The echoes bounced back at it but this it had long since gotten use to. "Find them. Kill them."

The slave bowed and left, its spike like legs clattering on the hard rock as it moved as fast as its anatomy allowed. The hulk looked after it for a moment more before returning its attention to the monitors. The alien clicked the largest button with dark orange alien writing on it and started the transmissions to upload all the data it had recorded and streamed all new data that was being recorded. The slave would die, but perhaps its sacrifice would prove to be more enlightening into the depths of their powers.

The three supers continued walking through the damp cave system for nearly another mile after the barrier before Caliwone halted the group, a predatory smile spreading across face. Standing at the narrowest point of this tunnel pass and seen only dimly by the light Caliwone was producing lightly around him, the third and final alien waited, clearly ready to fight and taking advantage of the small space for the best possible advantage with its unique shielding capabilities and attacks.

Caliwone stepped forward, unafraid. His Dragon Twister would make short work of it. His right arm began glowing a dark blue but Kal-El stretched out a hand to stop Caliwone.

"Let me," he said. "You two have already fought these things. This is my planet, too and I want to help defend it."

Caliwone eyed the Man of Steel for a moment, considering. "Are you prepared to kill it?" he asked, knowing and having experienced the kind and intolerable nature of the Boy Scout.

"Believe it or not, Caliwone, there are different ways to win without killing," Kal-El said as he took his position in front of the alien. "But if it comes to that, I have killed Darkseid before."

Caliwone quietly wondered who Darkseid was but dismissed it as unimportant. Opting to say nothing, Caliwone simply smirked with Helena standing to his side. The alien had all this while remained silently watching, biding its time and seeming to be in hurry to end things. Was it stalling?

"I will ask you one time," Superman said, to which Caliwone nearly rolled his eyes, "stand down, now."

The alien tilted its head at what looked to be a painful angle. "No."

"Fine," Superman said. Red light lanced out from Superman's eyes as he opened with his heat vision. The twin lines of light looked to be on target but were then deflected violently off course and into the side of the tunnel wall. Superman was on him then, nearly as fast as Caliwone himself would have been and swung one powerful fist down to crash on the invisible shield.

Superman looked surprised for a moment as the alien lifted one long apish arm and swung it. Superman was thrown backwards, the stylized 'S' on his tough costume sliced open as he crashed into the wall directly beside Caliwone.

Keeping his eyes on the alien as Superman rubbed his head and looked down to see the ripped costume, Caliwone said, "Be careful. Its attacks are difficult to predict."

"Yeah, thanks," Superman grumbled and pushed himself back to his feet. "Any other bits of advice _before_ I start fighting."

"Of course," Helena said. "But where's the fun in that?"

"Fun. Of course," Superman grumbled then raced back forward to continue the fight.

Caliwone watched Kal-El, amazed at the lack of finesse he had and the incredible brute strength that Kal-El preferred. On almost any other fighter, such a strategic style would be near suicide going up against someone like himself or this alien. They would have been cut to shreds. Perhaps that was the reason Batman was one of the most feared and greatest in the League despite his lack of special powers. His skill and detective prowess allowed him to defeat and out think enemies many times stronger than he was.

The cave rumbled as Superman was thrown into the wall after another failed attempt.

Superman would still win in an out and out contest of strength, but Caliwone felt that he could win in a fight to the death. His strategic mind and fighting ability far exceeded any in the League, except maybe Green Lantern, Shayera, and Batman. They were much closer, at any rate. However, to Caliwone's eyes, Kal-El had a rather narrow focus in battle although Kal-El had surprised him several times before. Right now, though, Superman wasn't doing much more than volunteering to be the alien's punching bag.

He lightly became aware that he was tapping his fingers on his arm out of impatience and immediately stopped. Superman deserved a chance to show his metal. Just because Caliwone did things a certain way did not mean Kal-El's way would not work. After all, he was Earths greatest champion.

Helena watched Caliwone out of the corner of her eye, noting the internal struggle that he was not so obviously dealing with. She could guess what it was but was glad to see that he was choosing not to step in, as painful for him as the restraint must have been. She smiled, noting how much he had changed since even she had known him. Once the bloodthirsty killer and now defender of Earth. Despite the reasons he stated arrogantly, he cared for this planet.

Down the tunnel, Superman had finally gained an advantage by spinning his body at a super speed and tunneling himself underground. Without any air current to shift and give the alien a warning, Superman was able to tunnel all around and drop down on the alien and wrapped his powerful arms around its arms and chest.

The alien struggled in his arms but Superman refused to let go, squeezing the air out of its lungs, if it had lungs, and hoping it would a pass out soon. The attacks it was still firing point blank at him hurt a lot, even if it did not break through his skin.

The alien's struggles became less violent, more sluggish until, with one last weak tug at Superman's arms, it lay still. Superman held on for a few more seconds just to be sure, then set the alien down lightly on the ground. He wiped sweat off his brow and took a deep breath.

"See," Superman said, turning to both Caliwone and Helena. "You don't always need to kill."

"Uh-huh," Caliwone said, clearly disagreeing and started down the tunnel toward Superman.

Superman turned and headed down the tunnel and looked around, using his x-ray vision to try and see if there was anything else they needed here. His eyes narrowed as he combined his heat vision as he saw something that looked like technology of some sort. Computers maybe?

Red light flashed behind him and the walls shuddered as if a small bomb had just exploded in the cave with them. He whirled around, fearing that Caliwone had done something drastic but Caliwone was looking behind him as well.

Helena was standing above the smoking body of the alien, the smoke curling around her hand and face, a look of complete calm and no regret.

"Why?" Superman managed, rage and sadness and disbelief coloring his emotions.

"It is not wise to leave an enemy at your back," she answered. "Who knows how long it would have stayed unconscious before striking back at us. I don't know about you, but I know that the attacks this thing produces would have cut through both me and Caliwone if taken by surprise. I am not willing to risk my life like that in a war."

"Let it be, Kal-El," Caliwone said, turning and starting down the tunnel.

Superman opened and closed his mouth a few times before deciding to leave that discussion for another day. "There is a room down this way that has some kind of technology in it," Superman reported sourly. "Maybe this was their full base on Earth."

"Only one way to find out," Helena said. "Let's check it out."

Superman lead the group down the tunnel further, around a few tight bends, and then into a small cavern. This room was not made naturally, judging by the scraps and scarring on the wall as if something had dug out this place to live. "It's been busy," Superman said.

Caliwone grunted, looking around the shadowy place. "That alien couldn't have made this place that quickly. Even if it could, why?"

"What do you mean?" Superman said.

"Think about it. They were launched from the asteroid with no possible way for us to miss them. They could not have expected to remain hidden long enough for them to warrant this kind of work."

"Makes sense," Helena said. "So where is this technology you saw?"

"This way," said turning toward the dark opening on the far side of the cavern.

They never reached it. Out of the shadows of the room, a large hulking form stepped into the partial light revealing only a little. It walked on two feet with reversed knees, two massive and powerful arms and a broad chest concealed behind dark armor.

Superman's eyes grew wide in horror before turning to an angry glare. _"Doomsday!"_

"No," Caliwone said, taking a step back from the hulking form, "it isn't."

To be continued...

Alright guys, its the big one. Finally we see a face of the real enemy.

I hope everyone liked it and where we are going here. If so, please leave a review for me.

Thanks Kobez2.0 again! I love "Blurred Identity" Keep up the good work.

See you guys soon,

The Dark Prince


	13. Chapter 12: The True Face

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 12: ****The True Face**********

Superman took another step back in horror as the darkened figure continued to step toward the group of three heroes, its walk odd looking with its reversed pair of knees. The beast itself did look incredibly like Doomsday, as Superman had noted with fear, with its massive bulk of raw muscle and power, thick tree trunk like arms and legs and tall menacing height. Unlike Doomsday, however, no bone spikes jutted from its body and no long gray hair fell onto its broad shoulders from its head.

Its skin was a dark, steely gray from what could be seen in the gaps between its armor, with glinting yellow eyes that pierced through the shadows that fell like sheets across its face. Its feet had three large toes on each foot that sank into the ground with every step. As it grew closer, the light that both Helena and Caliwone were emitting glinted off the dark blue and red lined armor that shielded its shins, legs, and torso. The armor that covered its arched back and chest was stylized in a fashion that seemed to Caliwone to be meant as both honorific as well as functional.

Across its massively muscled arms, more armor of the same design and color reached from shoulder to elbow and elbow to wrist along the outer edge of its forearm. A separate piece was latched onto the back of its three fingered hand, short spikes of sharpened decoration reached back toward the wrists that would leave quite the mark should it backhand someone.

Its head was no ordinary head and the largest difference to Doomsday. In accordance to its arching back, it had a long, forward reaching neck that was also armored, plated so that it would still allow movement and still provide protection, should it be needed, with only the underside of its thick neck exposed.

As it finished walking into the light, it was clear a helmet was also worn, a forward reaching claw that stretched down between its eyes and protruding jaws. That was the most terrifying part. As if designed from the most terrifying horror story, its jaw was split into five segments. Its upper jaw remained constantly in place while four separate mandible-like jaw lines jutted out, each sporting a row of needle sharp teeth behind its dark gray skin and armor that covered even those jaw pincers.

Helena shuddered as she got her first look at the monstrosity, a sudden cold fear wrapping its fist around her heart. Slade had told her that such feelings meant that her subconscious was picking up on something her mind had not and that it was a very good idea to pay attention to it.

She shook off her fear as best she could, her eyes growing cold as she settled her mind into combat and paid closer attention. There was a great deal of perceived power around this alien, perhaps due to the close likeness to Doomsday, but no actual aura. Which meant that she had no way to tell how strong it really was until she began fighting it. But the feeling was something else, something deeper. What was it?

The alien lifted one hand and pointed to Superman. "I have heard of you," it said in plain English, far more understandable than the three aliens they had fought first. It was still disconcerting to listen to the human words coming from it as its several jaw parts moved simultaneously. "Many stories tell of your bravery and strength. You are a legend among your people. Therefore, I must crush you and set an example."

Superman grimaced and settled into his own fighting stance, ready for anything. True to form, however, Caliwone laughed loudly. "Kal-El may be the face of this planets warriors but if it is a true challenge that you seek, and then you are pointing at the wrong man." Caliwone jabbed a thumb at his own chest and grinned darkly. "That would be me."

The alien eyed Caliwone, taking him in. "I do not care who your best is," it answered after a moment. "The destruction of your race is the objective. Crushing the hope from your people is the first priority."

Caliwone snickered. "You don't get it, do you? You will have to get through me first." He crouched, flexing his arms. His smirk changed to gritted teeth and a look a fierce concentration. A vein pulsed and throbbed above his temple. Caliwone gave a yell and pushed his energy out from deep within him. The ground cracked beneath his feet as the air around him hissed and wavered as if an inferno had suddenly ignited beneath him.

His arm muscles bulged and grew more defined, his chest and legs following suit as his energy infusing them with more concentrated strength and power than any normal man could achieve. A shockwave rippled out from him as his body accepted the transforming muscles, clearing the ground of any loose rocks or debris.

His tail unwrapped itself from around his waist, lashing back and forth like a thick snake caught in an electric chair as the warping air around him began to gain a golden tinge. It whipped down, barely able to reach the ground and smashed the rock under the blow, letting the loose rock rise around Caliwone like a thin protective shield.

Caliwone's eyes, darker than the deepest pits of Hell steeled over with icy blue, his hair lifted straighter, layering themselves exactly as it would if he was a Super Saiyan. Caliwone forced his body to remain untransformed, giving his enemy plenty of time to consider what it was seeing even as more small chunks of rock peeled themselves from the ground. Unable to hold the transformation back any longer, Caliwone gave one final roar. His gold aura ignited around him like wild fire, bleaching his black hair blonde and sending his energy curling around the cave.

Helena watched the performance with slight amusement but that feeling fell abruptly as she glanced back over at the alien. It was still standing exactly where it had been, the intimidation tactic seeming to have failed completely even as Caliwone stood straight again, his dark grin solidly in place. Was he so blind that he couldn't see the lack of reaction from the alien or was this still all part of his plan? Or was it possible that he could see or sense something she couldn't?

The fire like energy slowly died away, returning to its normal aura around Caliwone. She stepped forward next to him and without the dramatics, transformed as well. Her hair burst from the hair band that had kept her hair in a pony tail and the dress she was wearing blew around her.

Superman stepped over to Caliwone's other side having overcome his own demons and the three stood in front of the one alien. Its pincer like jaws worked against each other before the alien lifted one massive arm. All three tensed slightly as the prepared for it to attack but it simply brought its hand up to its chest plate and pulled it off. It fell to the ground with shattering force. Its shin guards followed suit as it removed them.

Caliwone's grin lost its edge, the alien's tactic doing a better job of intimidating. It left its arm guards and helmet in place revealing a completely unprotected upper body. It stepped forward and kicked the heavy chest armor toward the group. Caliwone tilted his head to the side to allow it to pass quickly by to impale itself into the wall far behind him. All three turned to watch it in varying degrees of shock at the demonstration. Caliwone turned his eyes back to the alien just in time to see its large right hand reaching for Caliwone's face.

Superman and Helena leapt to either side and Caliwone rocketed upward but the brute caught his leg and slammed him back down to the ground with rock shattering force. Caliwone coughed up blood, horrified that this early on in a fight he was already bleeding but before he could dwell on it too long, the alien's other hand came crushing down onto his face with its full force.

Helena and Superman rushed back to fight but the alien used Caliwone's head as a pivot, lifting its body off the ground. It snapped at Helena with all sets of jaws that made Helena think twice about attacking just long enough to make her ineffective and with its long leg, drilled a kick into the 'S' on Superman's chest. Superman flew backward through the twenty foot thick stone wall and into another cavern and splashed hard into an underground lake.

The alien finished its swing and launched forward at Helena, driving a shoulder hard into her stomach then swung a vicious uppercut that she was only just able to avoid. She flew backward in a burst of gold as the alien swiped at her, missing her by inches. Immediately, the alien turned its attention back to Caliwone before he could get his feet back under him.

Caliwone threw himself sideways to avoid a devastating stomp that could have crushed his head into fine powder. Skidding to a halt, Caliwone launched back at it. The alien gave a threatening roar before ducking its massive head, allowing Caliwone's fist to slam into and slid off of its helmet. Reaching up, it grabbed Caliwone by the throat with one hand and with the other, grabbed his face and pushed.

Caliwone growled as the pain steadily mounted but before it became unbearable, Caliwone lifted his legs and drove them solidly into the aliens chin. The alien released Caliwone as it fell back and Caliwone landed on hands and knees just as Superman swept back into the fight and plowed both extended fist into the aliens exposed chest. Helena dropped down from above before it could reach the far wall and it crashed heavily into the floor.

Caliwone stood up, bits of rock falling off of him as fury stitched all over his face as his gold aura blazed angrily around him. Something had to be done about this. Dirt rolled across his feet from Helena's and Superman's combined attack and he waited for the alien to stand again. Its fighting style was much like the Earth's military he had observed during his time with the Justice League. It was a very brutal style, effective but lacking the finesse that Caliwone employed.

Caliwone continued to wait as the alien pushed itself up out of the ground, shrugging off bits of rock as it did so. Unlike Doomsday, there was a strategic plan in the way it fought, making it far more dangerous enemy. As the alien stood to its full hunch back looking height, Caliwone walked over to it. Standing face to face with Caliwone's gold aura blazing around him.

Caliwone resisted the urge to cover his nose, the aliens hot putrid breath smelt of decay and rotting food. It was repulsive but Caliwone had a stronger will than that and did not move as, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Helena land next to Superman. They were watching him, probably confused as to what he was doing. Mentally, Caliwone shrugged, not really caring.

The alien tensed just noticeably but Caliwone was already moving, swinging a fist around to connect solidly with the aliens own three fingered fist. Spinning quickly in the opposite direction, Caliwone swept a foot down, trying to sweep it off its feet but the alien lightly jumped it and swung a fist down from above. Caliwone swatted it away and tried to knee it in the stomach but its other hand caught the knee. Swinging its other hand back around with its spiked hand plates whistling softly, Caliwone had no choice but to block to protect his head.

The force of the blow slid him sideways, nearly unseating his planted foot with its force. He lowered his arms to counter attack and nearly missed seeing the kick coming at his front. He was just able to get his guard back up in time but the force of the blow sent Caliwone flying back like a ball off a baseball bat. Caliwone kicked his legs up, forcing his body to flip backwards and landed on his feet. His toes had barely touched the ground before he was launching back at the alien.

He came in from high, rushing downward fast. The alien swung a fist that went straight through Caliwone as if he was a ghost. Before the alien could comprehend what had happened, Caliwone kicked a foot high under where its chin would be, lifting it off the ground. Caliwone rolled back to his feet and tried to follow up with a devastating kick but the alien blocked it and elbowed him in the face.

Caliwone's head snapped back and managed to kick off of the alien and away. Flipping back to face the alien, Caliwone flew forward quickly and slammed a knee into the aliens face. The two hit the ground again. Before the alien could stand, blue lightning arced around Caliwone's right hand. Turning just as the brute got back to his feet, Caliwone burst forward, reaching his hand out to strike where the human heart would be. Almost casually, the alien caught Caliwone's hand by the wrist.

Caliwone struggled, first trying to push forward then simply trying to get his arm back but the aliens grip was like cement. Caliwone jumped up and kicked the alien in its ugly head, causing a snarl to escape its multiple jaws but its grip remained solid. The alien squeezed lightly, causing Caliwone's forearm to shoot out an ominous cracking sound as he fell to one knee. The Dragon Twister's blue light faded as Caliwone lost his concentration.

The alien lifted one back jointed leg and thrust kicked Caliwone that would have normally knocked over a building, snapping his head back hard but didn't go anywhere with the alien refusing to let go of his arm. Caliwone pulled desperately once more and the alien released him. Caliwone stumbled back for a second, trying to shake off the pain in his wrist then launching a new assault.

Superman started forward to help but Helena grabbed him by the cape, holding him back, a look of concern on his face as he continued to fight the alien with mounting unsuccess. "He should know not to fight like that," Helena said to a squawking Superman. "Watch him."

"I have seen him fight," Superman said. "What about it?"

"Look," Helena growled.

Superman did. Caliwone was going all out, trying to beat down his opponent's defense, taking hits full force in order to land one of his own. "What about it?"

"This is not the way to fight an opponent like this," Helena said. "It's like he is trying to fight with only strength. He's not using his head."

"All the more reason to help," Superman said. He ripped his cape from Helena's grip and rushed forward.

Helena kept her distance, wanting to understand what was happening as Superman joined the fray with even less success. Her eyes narrowed as she began seeing a pattern in the way the alien fought. There were holes in its defenses, not that it couldn't handle the attacks but they were there none-the-less. She could also see that it telegraphed its moves, little twitches with its jaws, the way it leaned just before striking. That's when things clicked for her. Caliwone was too proud of his own abilities to ask for help, to admit that he wasn't strong enough, especially to her. Instead, he was forcing the alien to reveal its own weaknesses, teaching her how to fight it without saying a word.

Superman took a blow to the head that sent him reeling for a moment then turned his heat vision on it. The twin lines of light burned into the alien, scorching flesh before the alien grabbed Caliwone by the head as he attacked and threw him bodily into Superman.

"Damn it," Caliwone snarled and lifted his right hand. Red energy glowed around it and Caliwone pitched it at the alien as it rushed in, not giving them time to rest of collect themselves. The red energy ball expanded, catching the alien full on the chest, sending it rocketing upward into the high ceiling and exploded, showering all below with rocks.

Caliwone shoved Superman aside roughly as they stood up. His aura blazed around him as Caliwone reached down within. Before he could even start the transformation, the alien dropped back to the ground with a thunderous thud. Caliwone growled and stepped back. He slid a glare over toward Helena but returned his focus to the brute in front of him, Superman at his side.

"Alright, Kal-El," Caliwone said quietly. "Just like before."

Superman flew forward with Caliwone following close behind to hide in his shadow. Moving quickly and using Kal-El to disguise his movement, Caliwone vanished from sight, appearing behind the alien just as Superman swung. Having not seen Caliwone's move, the alien was caught flat footed as Caliwone slide in from behind, taking out its feet and force it to stumble backwards. From the side, Helena dashed in at last, landing a devastating blow into the alien's side. It snarled in pain as it fell to the side, reaching one hand out to break its fall and stretch out a long leg that struck Superman hard in the jaw.

From the ground where he had slid to a halt, Caliwone clapped his hands together. Helena saw Caliwone and quickly fell onto the alien, pounding it hard into the ground just long enough for Caliwone to pull apart his hands, the blue pinprick of energy glowing brightly. Sending one final kick down on the alien, she dashed out of the way as Caliwone fired.

Caliwone's attack caught the alien again with full force, demolishing the archway they had come through, into an adjacent caverns, and out the side of the system. Caliwone kept up the attack, gritting his teeth as he could feel the alien resisting his attack until, with a suddenness that surprised even him, the aliens reached and arm out through the blast of blue force and grabbed him by the throat.

The attack broke as Caliwone grabbed at the iron grip that was throttling the life out of him; choking. Helena and Superman rushed forward to attack but the alien turned, roaring defiantly and back handed Helena, tearing a gash across her face. Superman lost focus for just a crucial moment as some of the blood that had spewed from Helena spattered across his face.

The alien grabbed Superman's face, slamming him with incredible force down into the rock then picking him up and kicking him in the softest part of his stomach. Superman exhaled involuntarily as the air was knocked out of him. Not finished, the alien slammed him against the wall and drove another foot to Kal-El's face.

Caliwone, still choking, fired a blast of energy into his executioners face, trying to at least distract it or confuse it enough to release its grip long enough for him to get a breath but to no avail. Out of the smoke his blast had caused, the alien's head lanced downward, head butting him with the helmet hard enough to nearly knock the great Saiyan out. A three fingered fist slammed full tilt into his stomach. Blood burst from Caliwone's mouth along with the last bit of air that managed to squeeze itself out. An elbow came in, jerking Caliwone's head back as the alien released his throat.

Caliwone stumbled back but before he could get too far, the alien was on top of him again, swinging with brutal precision. Caliwone managed to get one eye open long enough to see a rain of energy that could only be Helena's Noventa Cannon burst apart like fireworks and rain down onto the alien.

With his face so close to the aliens, Caliwone was able to hear a soft growl from it as it turned to look back at the annoying girl. Seeing one chance to get the alien off of him, Caliwone reached into his arsenal of techniques without thinking. Placing one bloodstained hand against the alien's stomach, Caliwone fired.

"FINAL SHINE!"

The alien flew backward into the high ceiling and fell to the ground with a crash. Caliwone coughed up more blood and didn't move for a second. He glanced over to the side and saw Kal-El struggling to get to his feet and Helena holding her left side, the dress she wore torn, soiled, and bloodstained. His eyes lost focus for a moment as he saw Kal-El stand tall and turn to face the alien, now back on its own feet and Helena turning to face it herself.

_How? How are they able to stand?_

Caliwone yelled in intense pain as the alien landed hard on his stomach and ribs. He hadn't even seen it move. Superman rammed it off of him with Helena floating above them with her new technique ready in front of her. Even as more blood spewed from his mouth, Helena's attack lanced out and crashed down on top of the alien as Superman jumped back out of the way.

The ground under them shook hard once as the alien, hidden by the attack, slammed its massive arms on the ground hard enough to lift a slab of rock that blocked the rain of energy. Superman took a great deep breath and blew. Ice crusted over the ground like a virus, creeping over to the alien, up its legs, and across its upper body. The alien turned its head to look at Superman before the ice covered it completely. Superman relaxed slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on the frozen alien.

"That's...not going to do it..." Helena grunted.

Superman frowned just as small chunks of ice fell from the alien. He gave a great sigh as the ice cracked from top to bottom, then shattered completely.

"Any ideas?" Superman asked Helena.

"I got nothing," Helena said grimly. "I've already tried everything I can think of."

Superman gave Caliwone a quick glance, feeling a pang of fear grip around his chest as he remained motionless, his Super Saiyan state completely gone with his hair reverted back to jet black. Superman gulped lightly. One alien was battling successfully against three of the most powerful defenders of Earth. What if there were more onboard the asteroid? If there was more, they needed to get a message out to the rest of the League so they could prepare for the invasion.

In one deft motion, the alien raced forward, forcing Helena to leap upwards but Superman stood his ground, meeting the alien blow for blow. One strike broke through Superman's defenses and sent him crashing into the only remaining rock wall and the alien leapt after Helena, grabbing onto the walls and launching itself from it as it chased her upwards.

Helena counter attacked, trying to catch the alien by surprise. With a war cry, she kicked, sending the alien crashing down into the rock floor hard enough to bounce Caliwone where he lay twenty feet away. Helena rushed at it, trying not to let her advantage go but the alien rolled backwards and elbowed her hard in the face. She reeled back and the alien grabbed her by the back of her hair and slammed her hard onto her back on the rough ground.

Superman rushed back in, heat beams lancing outward but they seemed not to affect it, merely bounced off its scarred and bleeding skin. The alien turned to look at Superman and lifted a foot, smashing it down on Helena who lay before him across her throat, chest, and arms, pinning her there unable to move with one massive foot.

Superman swung with everything he had, meeting the aliens own clenched fist. The ground between them erupted from the shock wave but neither moved backwards. Superman swung a kick that was blocked and the alien answered with kick of its own from the leg that was not pinning Helena down. Superman managed to avoid that and fired with his heat vision again with the same effect.

The alien roared at Superman; spit flying from its horrifying mouth as Superman turned his heat vision to the ground, cutting a circular platform underneath Helena and the alien. Diving quickly underground, Superman lifted the cut piece of rock and tilted it sideways, forcing the alien to fall off and release Helena. She fell as well, coughing and wheezing and trying to hold together what remained of her tattered dress.

Superman rushed in again and met the answering swing from the alien. The alien grabbed Superman's cape and swung him around into Helena. For a moment, the two just lay there breathing hard and, in Helena's case, bleeding quite heavily.

"I don't get it," Superman said. "Not even Doomsday was this tough. Caliwone and I beat him last time but with as powerful as he has become, and with you, he wouldn't stand a chance. How can something be this much more powerful than him?"

"I don't care," Helena said, forcing herself to her feet. "But I will not let it win. Period."

She started forward, stumbled, then regained her balance. Her vision was wavering as if she had tears in her eyes and she tried to blink them away but nothing came out. She blinked again, trying to understand and then looked down. A large red pool of blood was soaking her feet from various wounds, the immense blood loss she was suffering from was why she was not able to see properly, why her balance was so off.

"You can't keep doing this," Superman said as the alien started toward them. "You're going to die if we don't get you help now.

"I won't run," Helena said. "Besides, we can't even get the communicators to work down here, remember? Much less the teleporters."

Superman grimaced. "Then just sit back. I will take care of it, somehow."

Helena snorted. "Who knew Superman had such a sense of humor." She laughed once then broke off as pain shot through her. "Don't worry about me. This is for the good of the planet, remember?"

Superman sighed but before he could respond, the alien had dashed forward, grabbing Helena by the throat before either could move. The alien turned, holding Helena off the ground with one powerful fist and looked back at Superman. Superman glared angrily at the alien, furious that he hadn't been able to protect her as her hand that had been trying feebly to pull on the alien's fist fell limp at her side.

That was when he heard it. Soft cracking sounds like rock blowing apart. The ground around him vibrated lightly under his feet and short bursts of blue lightning arced between his feet. Cave seemed suddenly much darker than the near pitch darkness that had creeped in with the loss of Helena's and Caliwone's Saiyan aura's to light the cavern. All seemed darker except for one point behind him. Turning, Superman's eyes went wide.

Caliwone was standing where he had fallen, his golden aura twisting and curling around him like he had never seen Caliwone do before. His arms hung down front of him like a zombie and his eyes were wide open, not glaring but wide as if he was in horror, not at anything that was happening now but as if in his own mind. Superman was horrified, not sure whether Caliwone's revival was a good thing or not.

The ground around Caliwone erupted upward as his hair flashed gold once, then twice. His unfocused eyes flashing blue. His hair seemed to grow as Superman watched, still black until and arc of blue lightning split the air from ground to far off ceiling like one of the mythical bolts of Zeus. His hair turned blonde, his muscles expanded like he had seen only once before over a year ago but what was so creepy was that Caliwone himself had not moved an inch as all this took place. He was still looking down, his eyes unfocused, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

The alien dropped Helena to the ground, unconscious and walked over to him. Reaching back, the alien swung a back hand that snapped Caliwone's head to the side, ripping three gashes across his face but otherwise remained as he was.

The alien clicked its jaws, reached back, and punched. Caliwone's hand reached up and caught it instantly. His eyes were sharply focused, the horrified look being replaced by his usual glare and he turned his head back to look at the alien. His punch was so fast that the alien had no time to see it and was bent over before it could even register. It let out a long, low moan before Caliwone sent it flying backwards with a hard side kick.

Superman's jaw dropped as Caliwone walked forward, lightning arcing around him. The alien stood back up, shaking its ugly head. Caliwone vanished, reappearing directly behind the alien and swinging an elbow down onto the aliens raised neck but the alien blocked the attack and countered with a mule kick. Caliwone slapped a hand down on it, using it as leverage and firing a blast of energy at the alien. The alien again blocked it with its shielded arms and snapped at Caliwone with its jaws.

Caliwone vanished again, this time the alien was not able to follow its movements. It blinked and looked around. Blue light glowed suddenly from above the alien. Both Superman and the alien looked up to see Caliwone, his right arm full of blue lightning, diving down at the alien. There was no chance that the alien had to dodge as Caliwone's attack dug itself deep into the alien's chest as both it and Caliwone crashed into the ground.

Its mouth was open wide as it screamed, green blood oozing out from its wound as Caliwone looked coolly down at it. After a moment, the screaming stopped and the alien looked into Caliwone's eyes. Caliwone frowned as something like pride could be seen twinkling there.

"You have killed me," it said in just understandable English, "but I have won." The light of life in its eyes died out and its whole body relaxed. Caliwone pulled his hand from the alien's chest and stood up.

"We need to go," Superman said urgently with Helena unconscious in his arms.

Caliwone looked up at him. "What about the computers?"

"Destroyed," Superman said. "But never mind. Helena needs medical attention now."

Caliwone looked at her in Superman's arms for a moment, then simply turned and walked out toward the entrance. Before he could get there, Yusuke and the rest of the team that had been waiting outside came rushing in.

"What happened?" Yusuke demanded.

"I thought we told you to remain outside," Caliwone snarled.

The group paused, not expecting such hostility. "We were outside," Yusuke answered finally, "but when half a mountain blows up, that usually means there is trouble.

Dr. Fate walked over to Superman and Helena. "Will she be alright?" Fate asked, seeing that she was still breathing.

"I don't know," Superman said. "We need to get her over to Metro Tower immediately."

They all hurried outside back to the entrance as quickly as they could, all except Caliwone. The broke out into sunlight and Superman immediately touched his ear. "Superman to Metro Tower."

"Where have you been?" Batman's voice cut across his. "I have been trying to get a hold of you for the last ten minutes."

"We were inside the mountain with the last alien," Superman said, concerned by the tone in Batman's voice. "What is happening?"

"Look above you."

Superman did. Far off in the distance, the asteroid could still be seen in the north. His eyes widened in shock and horror as he saw thousands of pods bursting from it in all directions, blotting out the sky in that region. Even as the group watched, the pods past by over head, spreading out across the world, each one Superman knew, containing an alien like the one they had just fought.

"Oh my God," someone in the group whispered. Superman closed his eyes and looked away, knowing defeat was not just a possibility, it was a certainty.

To be continued...

Out of the frying pan and into the wild fire.

It was bad enough where one of these aliens could take on Superman, Helena, and Caliwone and nearly win. Now enough of them to blot out the sky. Can anything, or anyone, bring light to this dark situation? Or is this the end of the League and Caliwone, or even the human race?

What about the X-Men? Will they be able to join in the fight or are they too busy with other matters? Of course, with the army coming down them, it will only be a matter of time before _any_ other matters will become irrelevant.

Kobez2.0, thanks my friend for the Beta!

I cannot wait to see what you guys think of this one, everybody!

I will not be posting again in the next week so I will see you guys later.


	14. Chapter 12 Special: Helena's Story

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

**Sorry guys for the long delay. Work has been super demanding with the launch of a new product last friday. :)**

**As an apology, here is a a special!**

******Chapter 12.5: Helena's Story******

It seemed like so long ago, like a completely different life. Long before Slade, long before the formation of the Justice League even, when Batman was still a lone vigilante, when the people were still wary about super heroes and potentially selfish motives, Helena Noventa had been a happy child.

Her father and mother, neither rich nor particularly well known for anything in the business or social worlds, worked hard for their meager earnings to provide at least the essentials for their only child. In fact, the name of Noventa, a fading family line in this part of the world, was so well unknown in most of the common circles, that when their only daughter had been announced as the winner of the Tenkaichi Budokai in an overseas fighting tournament, many people had to check the name twice.

_"In a stunning upset of Jason Wood, 39 and four time defending champion of the Budokai, a new face to the fighting scene and free entry into the tournament, Helena Noventa, age 12 of Minnesota, United States, sent a resounding statement through the world that said 'Here I am"._

_Since her victory, the child of Dora and Henry Noventa has seen much publicity in the States as the youngest ever to win such a prestigious tournament-"_

Years before the Tenkaichi Budokai in which the name of Noventa was brought to the lips of every fan or fighter, her path had started innocently. As a concerned father, Henry Noventa had enrolled his young daughter Helena, in Karate lessons in order to allow her to protect herself from bullies and other school year threats. Even then, the instructors had noted unnatural talent for the art. She jumped higher with her kicks than others more advanced than she; her kicks were harder and her retention to techniques were beyond anything the instructors had ever dealt with.

For Helena though, Karate felt limited to her. As a defensive form of martial arts, it served as a strong basis but she desired more. Having seen many different forms of the art in movies and cartoons, she knew there was much more for her to learn. What had started out as a defense against bullies, she now thought of as a way of life.

Having never seen such passion or such eager drive to learn more, her parents had been delighted and were easily persuaded to enroll her in more diverse forms. Jujitsu, kung fu, Thai, kick boxing, and several others added to her repertoire and, like karate, she excelled.

With much encouragement from her instructors, Helena competed and dominated in several local tournaments and soon found herself entered into the Tenkaichi Budokai and after a long and grueling hours of qualifying and matches, she had emerged the victor.

Helena smiled to herself slightly as she continued to wonder down memory lane as the trip her family and she had taken right after to celebrate. They had visited Greece to which Helena had taken particular interest in the stories of the Greek Gods and most in particular, of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War. She was a superb strategist and a gifted warrior although unlike Aires, she did not delight in massacre and death and had so turned her considerable talents to mediation. At the time, Wonder Woman had been on Themyscira and unknown to Helena and Athena had been her only true role model.

After Greece, they had made a short trip to Egypt and then stopped on at Miami, Florida as a chaser. It was here that her life had fallen into the darkest pits of Hell.

As she was twelve now and much too old to share a room with her parents, they had consented to allow her to reside in the attached room with the door closed. Helena remembered clearly what had happened next as if she was there once more.

She jerked awaked late in the night to the sound of a thunderous crash. She screamed, thinking that the crash had come from her door but a frightened look to her left showed her that her door, both between the two rooms and the one that lead to the hallway remained solid and closed just as another scream pierced the night from the next room from her mother.

Helena sat frozen under her covers in solitude as the sound of pounding and raised voices thundered through the wall before the loud sound of a gun cracked. Another scream from her mother before the solitude of Helena's room was suddenly broken.

The door blew inward as a shotgun blast tore through the door before several men rushed through the door and toward Helena. The rushed over to her and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her out of bed by her red hair and to the ground. She cried out in fear and pain, having no idea as to whom or why this was happening.

From her parent's room, Helena's mother fell through having been pushed roughly through it without mercy. She hit the ground in front of her, bleeding from where her nose had hit the ground. She was crying and that horrifying sight tore at her. She looked back at the door, waiting for her father to come through but instead of the familiar form, another man stepped through the door.

It was none other than the martial artist she had defeated in the Tenkaichi Budokai; Jason Wood. She screamed at him, anger and terror blinding her as she struggled to get to her feet but one flunky was kneeling heavily on her back, forcing her flat to the floor as Jason walked slowly over to them.

"Hello, Helena," Jason said, his voice as icy as the dead of winter. "Do you know why I am here?"

Tearfully, Helena shook her head.

"I am here because I represent a significant investment to certain people," Jason said. "And for me to continue serving well for my investors, I still need to be the best fighter alive." He smiled cruelly. "Catch my drift?"

"You don't need to do this," Dora Noventa cried out. "It is a hobby for her. She won't do it again, I swear-"

"You don't understand the gravity of the situation," Jason said, turning slightly to look back at Dora. "No way around it, sweet heart."

"Take me. Kill me instead," Dora pleaded.

"If you don't shut up woman, I may kill you anyway," Wood snarled. "Now," Wood said in a much calmer voice, "I regret to inform you that your time has come to an abrupt halt so that I may regain my title as the Strongest Under the Heavens."

"Why don't you just get stronger?" Helena asked, then quailed under Woods dark glare.

"Death is much more effective," Woods said with a hint of a smile. "Your mother too, I think. Her cries of misery are most irritating."

"Stop this!" Helena cried just as the window nearest the bed blew inward. There was streak of red with a hint of gold before a man wearing a slick red speed suit skidded to a halt, the tips of his gold lightning bolts that stuck out from where his ears were covered glinted in the light.

"It doesn't take a detective to see what you're doing is wrong," the Flash said, a frown creasing his aging face. "And you better believe that I have dedicated my live to stopping evil, which means I will stop you. Surrender and come quietly."

Jason slowly placed his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if it isn't it the Flash. Pretty far from Central City."

"I go where ever there is evil intent," Flash said.

"Meta humans," Wood said with distaste. "Ever so cocky." He settled himself down into a fighting stance, apparently ready to fight the Flash with his bare fists.

Flash's eyes rose slightly as he relaxed. This wouldn't take long at all. In a flash, the Flash dashed forward, running circles around the group, creating a vacuum around them all and forcing Jason to his knees. Helena covered her head, trying to breath. Several shots fired as the baddies tried to shoot the Flash. A useless gesture as the Flash, so it had been reported, could feel the touch of a bullet on his skin and react fast enough to dodge it.

Suddenly, the Flash skidded to a stop and it took a few seconds to for her to realize that she was now hanging from the Flash's right arm. The bad guys lay on the ground, all but Jason Wood, unconscious. He was struggling to his feet but there was a cruel smile on his face.

"Losing your touch, aren't you, Flash?" Jason asked.

The girl felt the Flash's grip loosen slightly before the girl realized why. Her mother, who had been on the ground in the center of the Flash's circle path and now lay quite still. She guessed that she was unconscious just like the other men until she saw the blood spattered on the ground, spread all around from Flash's attack, and her open eyes.

Before her tears could start again, Jason shouted a word. "SHADE!" Darkness engulfed them. Not night darkness where light still existed somewhere at the end of the tunnel. This was true darkness the likes of which Earth had not known.

Suddenly Helena had been dropped to the ground as the Flash had been hit by something hard. She could feel him hit the ground and then bounced back to his feet. Unable to see where he could move to, his reactions seemed slow for only a moment before dark tendrils wrapped around his arms, waist, and neck. There were sounds of a scuffle and then suddenly Helena had been lifted off the ground and hauled out of the room into the hall. Light suddenly returned and Helena saw that she was being held by a black glad man with a black top hat, cane, and very dark glasses. She recognized the figure as the Shade.

She squirmed and struggled in the man's arms. A foot connected with the Shade's nose and fell to the ground as he clutched his face and swore. She scrambled to her feet and ran. The Shade's yells and threats followed her as she burst through the hotel door and out into the unfamiliar streets.

After a time, afraid who she could turn to, she hid. Several times through that first night she could hear Jason Wood and his goons including the Shade searching for her, saw them speaking with several cops and none of them the slightest bit concerned that they were working with a known criminal.

Several years later, Helena Noventa sat in an ally way of Jump City, rain pouring down around her. Her red hair stuck to her face, the ratty clothing she had stolen sopping wet. She shivered once as several people, mostly men, walked past her with large umbrellas raised over their head to keep them dry and she briefly was thankful that she had chosen the green shirt over the white the other night.

She suddenly felt eyes on her and she looked up sharply. Across the street, a man in a tan trench coat and hat was standing and simply looking at her. She stared back and slowly she stood as if called by the man. Without taking her eyes off the man, she crossed the street and stood in front of the man.

"You are Helena Noventa." The sentence was a statement, not a question.

"Yes." She peered hard into the space where his eyes should be but the shadows keep his face shadowed. "What do you want?"

"I have been searching for an apprentice capable of learning what I have to teach," he said. "I can make you powerful, skilled, and talented beyond imagination."

She raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And why would you do that?"

The man chuckled. "Because there are things I need of you and your talent. I would consider that a fair exchange for ultimate power."

"What kind of things?"

"Does it matter?"

Helena smirked. "Not really. But there is something I will have to do first."

"You speak of Jason Wood." Again, it was a statement. How did this man know so much?

"Yes."

"He is already dead. Murdered in a street mugging."

Her heart both rose and fell. In one part, she was glad he had died in such a way but at the same time, disappointed that she had not been responsible for his death. "Then I have nothing of my own to accomplish. I have lived my life with that one goal in my sight. I have nothing left to live for."

"Good." The man turned and started to walk away. "Come, my apprentice. We have work to do."

Helena hesitated for just moment but she had nothing to lose. She had no friends, no family any longer. The man turned back as if he knew she was not following. In doing so, light illuminated his face... and one single eye and a black and copper mask.

Helena twitched once in the healing tube inside the Justice League's Metro Tower as J'onn Jon'zz removed his hands from the glass and placed his hand on his alien head. Superman rested a hand on his shoulder in a comforting way.

"No wonder she ended up as she did," Shayera said. "She had no one else."

"She had other options," Batman said darkly.

"She didn't have billions of dollars to support her, Bruce," John said. "I understand not wanting to trust anyone. Been there."

"Who cares what her past was," Wally said, fidgeting even as he remembered seeing the other Flash, Wally's mentor. "The point was to find out if she is trust worthy or not, wasn't it?"

"That is true," Diana said. "J'onn?"

"I sense nothing of concern," he said.

"There you have it," Flash said.

Batman turned his back to the still unconscious Helena and walked out the medical bay door. "We'll see."

To be continued...

Just thought it was about time to get a glimpse into Helena's past.

Hope you guys enjoyed this little special.


	15. Chapter 13: In Blackest Night

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 13: In Blackest Night******

She was only a girl. A girl too young to be expected to witness the events going on around her and far too young to have ever been expected to survive it. At least, that's what they had kept telling her as they huddled in small groups within attics, storm shelters, or anywhere else false hope promised a sanctuary.

The girl herself remained silent, not even allowing the smallest sound of a tear drop to break the silence with her knees tucked up to her chest, arms wrapped around them, and her chin rested on top. They remained in darkness to prevent even the slightest chance of leaked light through cracks and seams or anything that could register a heat source that could be tracked. Soft sniffles and whimpers added white noise to the silence. Her eyes remained open, staring blankly at the ground.

One man stumbled over to the young girl in the dark, draping a moth eaten blanket around her shoulders and muttered something intended to be comforting. She didn't even twitch, her eyes fixed on a spot on the ground. The man patted her lightly on the back then left her where she was, sitting alone in one corner. It had been only a few days now since it had happened.

The sky had been a clear, the sort of pristine blue you only read about in books of times past. Birds had flown peacefully, some dancing gracefully on the wind while others simply surfed lazily looking for whatever it was birds looked for. She strolled with her parents, Mommy and Daddy holding hands while she licked contentedly at a pink ice-cream cone, holding Daddy's hand only when they crossed the streets. She was a big girl now, and she could walk by herself. Then in happened.

They came like rain, blotting out the sky with streaks of searing fire and inky smoke as they tore through the biggest buildings like they were tissue paper. Panic, terror and confusion were all tangible on the air as buildings fell, crushing those unfortunate enough to be caught under them. Those in cars screeched to a halt to watch the event unfold, then slam on the gas as they tried to escape, not caring who or what may be in their path.

Daddy lifted her into his arms and ran away from the fires and explosions and falling building, dragging Mommy by her hand as they swerved around anything that would hurt them. They were bumped by a big man with fear on his face and her ice cream cone fell to become a pink stain on a rapidly deteriorating sidewalk. Another building fell near them, shrouding them all in a curtain of darkness as the continued to scramble for safety.

They had skidded to a halt as they were nearly run down by a racing car, and then again as several police vehicles sped past in the opposite direction. Across the street, they joined with a larger group running in the same direction, toward the closest city boarder. Many roads leading out had been destroyed, as where most of the bridges that lead over the final barrier of water.

They had climbed up the highest hill and turned back to see the city from afar. The fires had still been burning but it seemed calmer the way firewood continues to burn but no longer rages. A series of sharp _cracks_ echoed out past the sounds of destruction and chaos as a condo collapsed as a car skidded into it. Then, out of the smoke and rubble heading right toward them, ten or twenty of the most horrible creatures the group had ever seen.

From television reports, artists, and news descriptions, the closest they could describe these monsters where to the likes of Doomsday. Someone in the group had screamed, she had forgotten what, something about aliens and asteroids. No one ever truly knew what happened next, only that the monsters or aliens had attacked with swiftness and precision. Daddy had died there. They had been running after the initial onslaught. One brute had chased after them and the others that had followed suit.

They had all been torn apart, limb from limb in a screaming blood bath. Daddy had stopped and faced the alien, giving her and Mommy time to escape but she had seen it all. Seen over Mommy's shoulder as she was carried away. No matter what she did, or how hard she wished, she still saw that terrible image play across the backs of her eyelids when she closed her eyes.

But that pain was only the first blow as her mother faced a similar fate as she had been thrust into the arms of a stranger moments before the aliens caught up with them. Few had managed to escape even as the beasts continued to hunt. In the matter of minutes, she had seen both her parents murder viciously and now here she sat, quiet and alone amidst strange people in the attic of a strange home.

Her fists clenched reflexively around the knees of her pants and she buried her head further into her arms. Quiet sobs and sniffles continued to pollute the air and floated through the small cracks to the outside world. Hopefully, not enough to alert the hunters.

"Hey, look at this," one of the younger men said, reaching over a box and digging out a portable radio. "We need to find out what's going on with the rest of the world. Maybe there is somewhere safe we can get to."

"Turn that thing on and we are all dead, you idiot," another man said, stepping over an attempting to snatch the radio away but the younger man pulled it away.

"Relax, dude," he hissed. "What's your plan, huh? Just sit here until they get tired of hunting us?"

"It's too risky," the other man whispered urgently back. "If they hear-"

"Who knows how good they even hear, man. Maybe they don't hear at all the way we do. I've seen this one movie-"

"So you think because you've seen a lousy Hollywood flick you know everything about aliens?" the man quietly roared. "Superman is an alien. So is Hawkgirl, J'onn Jon'zz, and another dozen in that Justice League and they all hear just fine."

"Come on man, we've been here for three days already. They must have left by now." The man skittered over to a far wall before the older man could prevent him. Several murmurs came from the huddling group, all in favor of seeing what else was happening in the world. With a slump of his shoulders, the older man joined the group now sitting in a ring around the radio. The young man made sure the volume was all the way down, plugged it in, and slowly changed the channels, adjusting the volume as needed.

_"-anic across the world as the invading aliens continue to lay waste to all major cities across the world. Paris. France. Cairo. New York City. Hong Kong. Tokyo. Their devastation seems endless as they all move with purpose._

_"The Justice League, along with Iron Man, the new Saiyan girl Helena, and many others are continuing to battle them with limited success. Several of the League members have been reported killed in the attacks although their identities have not been revealed. All things considering, it is not a top priority."_

"My gosh," one whispered, her hand covering her mouth.

"Nowhere is safe for us," another moaned and buried her head into the arms of the man next to her.

"The Justice League can't stop them," another whisper. "This reminds me of a couple of years ago when Darkseid came to Earth for Superman."

"Who cares about that," another spoke up. "What are _we_ going to do?"

The young girl closed her eyes, not really understanding what was happening but knew that terrible things like what she had seen done to her parents was happening all over the world. She sighed, the first real sound she had uttered since she had lost sight of her parents through the trees.

She opened her eyes again, turning her blank stare out through the hole in the wood to the stars beyond. She blinked, not seeing them. Only a pair of glowing eyes and a massive three fingered hand inches away from her head.

She took a moment to take it all in and then screamed.

The alien that had been quietly reaching toward her gave up on the quiet approach and lunged forward, crashing through the brittle wood. The girl curled into a ball and rolled as the alien's arm fell just short as the wood crunched but remained intact long enough for her to escape. The group of humans scattered, all trying to find an escape. It took only a couple of moments to realize that there was no escape. They had already surrounded the small dwelling, silently trapping their prey before moving in.

All those that managed to get down the stairs from the attic, through the halls, and out the doors into the darkened night were suddenly no longer part of the world as the aliens ripped and tore them apart. Most of the others suffered a similar fate, huddled in the attic out of terror as they broke through the wood and brought death to the attic.

One of the men had picked her up and was running downstairs away from the aliens in the attic and tried to find a cellar to hide in. Thunder of heavy footsteps told the man he had no chance to find a place to hide. Opening a laundry chute quickly, he shoved her inside and slammed the door shut. She heard the sounds of his painful demise as she fell screaming into the laundry hamper in the basement.

The room was dark and cold with a draft coming from somewhere. She sniffled, curling up in the dirty laundry and waited, although what she was waiting for, she didn't know. Perhaps hoping that her parents would come for her even though she knew they were dead. Maybe for the screaming to stop, the thunderous footsteps to disappear overhead. Anything that would turn this nightmare around.

Something wet fell on her forehead and trickled down between her eyes. She sat up and wiped a hand across her forehead. More liquid was dripping down onto the laundry. It was blood. The girl looked up. The door she had been dropped through was cracked slightly, just enough to allow a sliver of light to illuminate the red blood dripping from it. The man that had saved her life must have not gotten very far at all.

More tears spilled down her face and the girl hurriedly crawled out of the laundry basket and made her way to the smallest corner of the room and huddled down, crying silently to herself, too scared to make any noise.

After a while, the sounds of screaming agony and heavy footsteps faded away into silence. Even the crickets returned to their peaceful chorus accompanied by many birds and bullfrogs. After a long time, she fell asleep.

It was several hours later that she woke up to sunlight in her face and buzzing of bees. The corner she had crawled into had also been very near the source of the draft from the previous night and now was passing warm sunlight through the gaps between the rotting ceiling and the equally poorly maintained wall.

She was just barely able to reach the gap and with a grunting effort, she pulled herself through the gap and fell the foot or so to the grassy ground, skinning her elbow lightly as she did so. Tears fell down her face at the pain and she sat for a moment, letting the tears and quiet cries come before righting herself and walking herself unsteadily into the surrounding woods, bypassing the blood covered upper level.

Her stomach was rumbling but her loneliness was stronger still. She had never been alone for this long in her entire life. And now, it would be like this forever. Or until she died. The visions of what had happened to her parents and the other people flashed through her mind. What would she do now?

Her blind wanderings eventually brought her to yet another town. This town was bustling with life, many with large bags and sacks full of food as they packed for a long haul away from major cities or otherwise populated areas. She collapsed near the outskirts of the city, fatigue and hunger and thirst weighing her down. After resting for a time, she steeled her will and rose shakily to her feet before stumbling towards the town, grubby and bloodstained. At the first sight of her, a woman screamed.

"They must be coming! Look at the girl."

Panic ensued, not a single person taking the time to comfort her or take her to get cleaned up. No one cared. They were too worried about their own lives to waste on someone not their own. Of course, it was all logical. The flight or fight response was in full effect across the planet and seeing how not a single alien had been reported as being killed yet, flight was the most appropriate response. Not that any of this made sense to the girl who now sat in the middle of the slowly deserting town and cried anew, sobbing even as no more tears fell. She was just scared and lonely. She had no parents, no family.

The ground gave a gently shudder under the girl, hard enough to make her look up. On the far side of town, a cloud of smoke was rising as one of the taller buildings crumbled and fell to the ground, keeling over half way to the ground and taking out the building next to it. For a moment, the only sound was of the crashing buildings, then slowly, soft screams of terror floated over to her, gaining in volume as the seconds passed. Suddenly, a car screamed around a corner down the road with such speed that it slid sideways and mounted the opposite curb before regaining its traction and speeding full bore down the road at the girl.

Scrambling, the girl just barely managed to get out of the cars way and to the sidewalk just as several other vehicles roared past, one or two of which were engulfed in a raging fire. For a few minutes, nothing could be seen as the dark billows of smoke clouded the street. There was a high pitched scream, one that cut clean through all the others and a man flew through the cloud of smoke and crashed face first into the hard cement. His scream was cut off abruptly even before the wave of people stampeded by, crushing the man unconcernedly beneath their feet.

The girl scrambled to her feet, slipped and fell, skinning her knee. She curled herself into a ball in terror before the first of the people on the sidewalk tripped over her, causing a pile up of scrambling and terrified people on top of her. It didn't take long for the crowd to pass enough for pile up to dismantle and those who had fallen to quickly gain distance.

Screams were continuing all around her as the invading aliens continued to come, slowly herding the humans. That was when the smoke cleared and the aliens could be seen leaving the ground behind them stained with crimson blood. One turned its large, ugly head in the girl's direction and with an astounding leap, soared high in the air with its arm cocked back, its intent was unmistakable.

There was a streak of movement from behind and Helena Noventa hurtled in at the last second, hugging the girl close to her chest and bracing for the alien's impact. Just as the alien swung down, a green shield winking into place around the two, deflecting the aliens blow to the side. The force of the blow blew chucks of cement and smoke high, shrouding them all with a green haze. The girl looked up from her sprawled position on the ground and saw Helena fire blast so powerful from her hands that it blew the alien backwards and through several of the nearest buildings.

Before the girl could move, Helena had picked her up and was rushing her away from the town. The flight did not last long and before she knew it, they were landing again next to a few other League members, prominent amongst them, Wonder Woman.

"I've got you, little sister," Diana said, taking the girl in her arms. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead," the girl said softly.

Diana's face hardened as she pulled the girl closer, giving her a comforting embrace while Helena's lips thinned nearly to the point of nonexistence before her teeth bared. She knew the pain of losing parents. At the time, she had been unable to force retribution for her own parent's murder. Perhaps this was her chance to correct that mistake in the girls honor.

"I'm going back," Helena said. Before Diana could object, Helena streaked back to Green Lantern in a blaze of gold and came to a landing back to back with Green Lantern. The aliens were now facing John in a semi circle as if sizing him up. It was an unnerving sight for Helena, having already seen one of these monsters in combat and knowing what they were capable of. Why would they be waiting when they could very clearly win?

"Tell me again," John said, his ring raised, ready, "what tricks you have against them."

"None," Helena said. "When Caliwone, Superman, and I fought them, one of those things nearly took us out. Even Caliwone and all his skill barely was able to beat it."

"That's comforting," John snorted. "Hopefully the others will be able to get here in time to do more than drag our bodies back to Metro Tower."

Helena snorted but it was at that time the first of the aliens struck. Helena blocked the massive fist, deflecting it from hitting John from behind as he struck out at his own alien. Helena struck mightily upwards, a vicious swing that would have taken any human's head off or broken its neck. Instead, the blow merely turned the aliens head. With a roar, the alien turned back, whipping a hand back and catching her hard across the face.

She stumbled to the side slightly, hearing an ominous crack coming from the area around her neck. She turned back, landing a blow in the aliens stomach and kicking the alien back with a well placed kick. Another alien leapt in before the first alien could regain its balance, roaring angrily at the intrusion.

A green boxing glove came out of nowhere to hit the alien. As one, the two heroes turned, switching places as Helena struck out at another offending alien. Helena ducked a counter blow and fired a powerful blast upward, just lifting the alien of its massive feet. It was long enough for Helena to fire another blast that forced the alien out of the circle.

Apparently tired of taking turns, the aliens came in a group. John wrapped a force field around the two just as Helena stepped forward to meet them. The shield flickered from the initial force and John, physically linked to his ring, fell to one knee before the shield shattered. Helena only had time to guard herself against a blow before, like a dive bomber from nowhere, Shayera dropped from the sky, her mace arcing with electricity. With full force, she slammed the mace down on the alien lifting a fist to John, crushing the alien through the cement and into a sewer channel below.

Her triumphant entrance was cut short as she ducked a swing from one alien only to have her back crushed by another. She flew forward into another alien that grabbed her around the waist with on massive hand and slammed her into the ground. Her mace bounced across the ground as she lay unconscious on the ground but before the alien could finish her, John rushed forward to protect her.

Helena was caught trying to defend against three aliens. She managed to dodge and block them for only a few seconds before one fist broke through her defenses and slammed into her stomach. Stunned by the powerful blow, Helena never saw the blow that laid her out flat, her gold hair transitioning back to red and collapsed to the ground, already incapacitated before a large foot crushed down on top of her.

On the other side of the battle, John had managed to pull Shayera's unconscious body to relative safety, hovering in the sky and blasting bolts of power down on the aliens. He tried to gain distance but one great leap from an alien brought the two of them down to street level again. With a mighty blast, John blew the aliens back. The area was clear for a few moments as the aliens recovered and began circling John and Shayera again.

"I guess they were right," Shayera muttered groggily as she forced herself to her feet and put her back to his. "There is no way to beat these things."

"Guess not," John said and looked down at his ring, which was blinking diffusely at him. "Running low on power, too. If only I had time to recharge it-"

"I've been thinking," Shayera said, standing and putting her back to John's. "Remember when you and Batman went into the future?"

"Which time?" John asked ironically.

"Right after I rejoined the League," Shayera said. "When I went to Batman about Warhawk, I mean Rex, he told me that he met his future self."

"Yeah?" John said, eyeing the approaching aliens warily.

"He told me that most of the League were killed in some catastrophe." Shayera raised her mace defensively. "We died that day, didn't we?"

"I don't know," John said. Honestly, now was probably not the time to talk about things unless they really did want to die here. "Old Bruce never really said. Not much time for that kind of thing. Besides, knowing too much about your future could damage the time stream."

"Glad to know you care so much for the time stream," Shayera said dryly. They were silent a moment as husband and wife and time seemed to slow. The alien in front of Shayera braced its foot, she could see the muscles in its legs tense, the ground crack underfoot. John could see what he could almost interpret as professional resolve in their deep yellow eyes; military.

"I love you, John," Shayera said.

John felt his heart sink. Never, to the best of his knowledge, had Shayera ever told him that in the midst of a battle before. "I love you too, Shayera, but this isn't the end. Diana and the others will be here soon," John said before he felt Shayera's hand snake across his side and take his hand. He knew then that Shayera was right and that she was ready. She had been born into war and death on her planet and had been bread to be prepared for it. It was he, the Marine, that was unwilling to accept it.

"What is going to happen to Rex?" Shayera asked, tears streaking down her face and her throat thick.

"He'll be fine," John said, his own voice cracking slightly. "Batman and the League will take care of him."

"That's comforting," Shayera said dryly, nearly forgetting the predicament she was currently in. "That's just what we need, a second Batman."

With one combined leap, the aliens all leapt forward and everything seemed to slow down, the way time is suppose to right before that first romantic kiss is suppose to. Shayera turned to John, knowing that they had no chance and rather spend the last few moments of her life looking into the eyes of the man she loved. As their eyes met, unsaid words seemed to pass between them before light erupted like a nova in the sky between them and the aliens.

Caught completely by surprise as much as the aliens, all stepped back, blinking rapidly as they tried to disperse the spots clouding their vision. A voice cut through scene, one that John could not recognize at first.

"Don't just stand there," the voice said and suddenly, John was able to recognize it. "Use this time to recharge that ring of yours," Helena shouted from where she stood.

John looked around and then stood up hurriedly. The aliens were all still trying to clear their eyes of the flare and he understood. He would not have time to charge his ring normally, of course, but there may be another way. Lifting his ring arm, John poured his focus into his ring.

"In brightest day," John said and light began to collect around his ring as if pulled from thin air, "in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight-"

From where they had been standing, blindly shaking their ugly heads clear, the aliens turned one by one toward John, Shayera, and Helena and with a roar, started forward once more. Helena gave a nervous look back and John where he stood, concentrating so hard that he seemed not to notice the approaching swarm.

"-let all those who worship evils might, beware my power, GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!" and with the force of a small nuke, John sent a shockwave out in all directions, passing harmlessly by the heroes and penetrating to the core of each of the aliens within the confines of the town. All seemed to freeze as if the Gods on Olympus themselves were looking down upon the scene until with a sound like cracking glass, the ring around John's finger broke and fell to the ground with a clatter.

As if that had been the queue the universe had been waiting for, the aliens crashed to the ground dead, parts of their armor hitting the Earth to clatter loudly.

Shayera stood up and looked around at the dead aliens with a mixture of disbelief and quietly emerging hope. She turned and looked at her husband, tears of joy running down her face until she saw him holding his right hand and looking down at the glittering remains of his ring on the concrete. He looked up at her, the familiar green glow that normally radiated from his eyes gone, revealing the dark natural eyes.

"I didn't know," he said at last and crumpled to the ground.

To be continued...

That certainly cannot be good. The Green Lantern's are suppose to be some of the most powerful in the universe and I have never heard of a ring simply shattering like that before. What could it mean?

And where is our favorite Saiyan? It is not like him to miss out on a battle.

Fan of many works (I wish you could create an account so I can PM you lol)

Yes, Caliwone is beginning to understand that his Super Saiyan 2 is something to be controlled, not ignored and yes, there will be plenty more aliens to fight. We haven't even started yet and that familiarity to which you speak will become more apparent soon. :)

Thank you mossfire, Kobez2.0, and Malix2 for your continuing reviews and support.

The Dark Prince


	16. Chapter 14: The Joining

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 14: The Joining******

Caliwone looked down at one open gloved hand as he sat silently on a large rock that had, at one point, been part of the side of the mountain in which Caliwone, Helena, and Kal-El had met the first of the powerful aliens. He had stayed behind as the Justice League and Helena had rushed off without any plans to combat the army of such creatures. Now they were dying, stamped out like unwanted vermin. His hand clenched into a tight fist, the blood that remained on his white gloves stretching.

"Fools," Caliwone growled out loud. "There is no plan of action, just rushing off blindly to the slaughter. No wonder they are dying. We need an edge if we are going to win."

A gentle wind rustled through the leaves of the overhanging trees that had survived the explosion that had lead to Caliwone's current seat, speaking gentle words into his inhumanly sensitive ears. Off in the distance, over the far off mountain tops, the sun could be seen setting in a blaze of oranges and yellows, just starting to disappear behind those flaming mountains. No matter how often he had seen it on this planet, the beauty of Earth's nature continued to fascinate him.

He gave a sigh and tore his eyes from the setting sun and back into the cave he called despair. They had been successful in killing the one alien, its body collected by none other than Batman and several others a few days later while Caliwone watched out of sight. Knowing the Batman, he would find a weakness in their anatomy. Even back while Caliwone had been a part of the League, Batman had learned of Caliwone's weakness in pulling his tail long before he had met the X-Men. He was a true credit to humanity but for now, it was pointless to try and fight.

"Hn," he said aloud to himself, letting his hand fall and leaned back, trying to find a way to defeat them with more efficiency. The Super Saiyan 2 form offered incredible power, perhaps enough to defeat the alien's one on one, but the energy consumption was enormous and not entirely practical for a world conflict like this. He needed something-

"Quite a mess the Earth is in, isn't it?"

Caliwone was on his feet in an instant, his fighters stance set aggressively and turned toward the source of the voice that Caliwone had neither sensed or heard approaching. Vegeta stood center most in the familiar gates of the Soul Society, his arms crossed and his body relaxed. His ever present smirk seeming rather conspicuously absent. Next to him on either side, Urameshi Yusuke and Kurosaki Ichigo looked over at him, neither looking pleased.

Caliwone relaxed as understanding came. "My prince," Caliwone said. "You have come to assist?"

"Of course," Vegeta said even as Yusuke and Ichigo looked at the dead Saiyan. "However, I cannot cross into your dimension. It would defeat the purpose of death. You will accompany me now." Caliwone nodded without question and walked through the gate and Yusuke and Ichigo walked out.

"Do not attempt to fight," Caliwone said. "It would be unwise."

Yusuke and Ichigo gave identical smirks. "You just worry about learning whatever it is you have to learn and we will worry about these aliens," Yusuke scoffed.

"Besides," Ichigo said, hefting his Zanpakutou, "we might have a few surprises on our side." Caliwone snorted out of reflex and continued on. In a matter of a few seconds, Caliwone and Vegeta were gone and the gate that connected the Soul Society to the living world closed silently and vanished from sight.

Deep in space, far from the familiar stars of the Milky Way solar system, a single entity hung in space, deep in meditation. The beings eyes remained closed, the kaleidoscope of colors and swirling space dust seeming unimportant, as if it had seen it all before. In a sudden rush, the gold bodied android stiffened, its body straightening to its full seven foot height in the emptiness. Its eyes seemed to glow for a moment before it vanished, leaving only a wisp of smoke and a disruption of the colorful space dust.

Far off on a planet called Oa, the Guardians, short blue aliens wearing identical red shirts, turned to look at each other over the event they had just witnessed. The Guardians, creators of the Green Lantern Corp, had been the first intelligence's in this universe and had evolved much faster than was normal. At the point where human kind was first emerging onto the dust ball later known as Earth, the Oan's had already surpassed today's level of human intelligence and had already visited all of their celestial neighbors.

At one point, there had been a war on Oa which had lead to the development of the Rings. Afterwards and having seen the corruption in their universe, they had created the Man Hunters, the robotic race that had turned against Oa not too long ago after having been replaced by the Green Lantern Corp.

The Guardians had evolved to a level both intellectually and physically that words were no longer necessary to communicate with each other, and quickly came to an agreement on a course of action that needed to occur. Most species, humans in the forefront, despised such mental communication. Kyle Rayner was no exception, although he hid his displeasure well.

"Yo, Guardians," Kyle said as he responded to the mental summons he had received. "Ganthet." He nodded to one in particular short blue Oan, the one who had delivered Kyle his ring and soon had secretly dubbed him Red Night Shirt, that looked very much like the others. "What can I do for you?"

"There has been a development on your home planet," one Oan spoke.

"One of extreme urgency," another continued as if they were of one mind which, to a point, they were.

"John Stewart," Ganthet said in the same expressionless voice that all the Oan's shared. "His ring has rejected him."

There was a long silence in the room small room.

"That can't be right," Kyle said. "There has to be a mistake; a different conclusion?"

"It may be possible," Ganthet said after a moment. "However unlikely."

"With the destruction of his ring, our vision of the sector 2814 has become limited."

"You are from Earth," yet another little blue Oan said. "You must return to that sector and aid in the events that John Stewart failed to prevent."

"Wait a second," Kyle said, placing one set of fingers on his forehead, just above his mask. "What situation are we talking about here and why was I not informed about it?"

"You did not need to know," Ganthet said simply. "It would have distracted you from your current mission."

"Yeah, you think?" Kyle said and sighed deeply. "Look, let's start at the beginning. What is happening?"

There was silence for a moment as the Guardians filled Kyle's mind with more than words but with knowledge. As the seconds past, Kyle's frown deepened until at last, he was freed from the information dump.

"I will leave right away," Kyle said, suddenly sounding much more serious.

"Wait," Ganthet said, holding up on small hand. "Take this with you." From in front of him, a green ring lifted up and floated over to Kyle who lifted a hand and closed a fist around it. "John Stewart has one chance to prove he is worthy of the ring once more. If he is still alive."

Kyle headed out to space and, with his artistic mind, created a glowing green and intricate looking space ship that shot him into space. Out of range of Oa's gravitational pull, he entered a worm hole and shot toward Earth.

Dr. Fate lowered his hand and opened his eyes, allowing the visions of possible futures to drift off into the space of memory. His eyes roamed around the meditation room inside the Tower of Fate, trying to find any hope.

A shiver past through him as he recounted the most vivid of the visions. Thousands of the aliens surrounding what must have been the very last of the once powerful Justice League, disastrous devastation encompassing the world as a whole. Long ago, he had predicted this as a possible outcome before Doomsday had been released. Now it seemed more certain than ever.

Behind him, a mystical portal opened, depositing Inza into the room. She was a vision of loveliness that gave him such strength through all of the troubled times. She paused just outside the inner ring of glowing sorcery, always respectful of his privacy.

"Yes, Inza," Fate said. "What is it?"

"We have a guest," Inza said. "The Android has returned from the meditation cycle you instructed of him."

"I see," Fate said, lowering himself from his meditation. "He has sensed the events transpiring here on Earth."

"I agree." Inza walked over to her husband and placed one hand along one blue and gold clad shoulder. "I believe he is ready to help."

Fate nodded. Behind his helmet, he closed his eyes then turned and followed Inza through the golden portal. They arrived in the smaller of the two main rooms within the Tower of Fate and removed the Helmet of Nabu and set it aside for a moment.

Inza touched his shoulder. "Aquaman is here as well and is requesting your presence."

Kent Nelson turned his head slightly. "Tell him I will be there in a moment." Inza obeyed without question and Dr. Fate ran a hand through his thinning hair.

Aquaman was waiting impatiently, sitting king-like in Fate's chair like a throne. Fate stepped into the room, his legendary Helmet of Nabu back in place over his head. The Android was there as well, standing like a silent sentry next to the chair, its eyes glowing steadily on him.

"Finally," Aquaman said, disdain clear in his voice. "I have a kingdom to maintain or have you forgotten?"

"I forget nothing, my friend," Fate said respectfully.

"Good." Aquaman stood. "I understand the surface dwellers are having a problem."

"All of Earth is having problems," Fate corrected. "Am I to assume that you will be offering your assistance for the betterment of humanity?"

"I couldn't care less what happens to the surface dwellers," Aquaman said. "However, I do care about what happens to Atlantis. We happen to have a common enemy this time."

"I agree," Fate said, pleased to see the cooperation, even if it was disguised. The proud Atlantean would never admit openly that he cared for anything other than his own kingdom. Fate and the Justice League actively indulged him, preferring to keep him with the team rather than aggravate the king and lose his silent favor.

"And as for you, my friend," Fate said, addressing the Android towering over the king. "What do you plan?"

The Android looked down for a moment, considering. "I will help as well."

"Very well," Fate said with a nod. "Let's get in touch with the Justice League and offer our assistance. I have received a disturbing vision that I wish to discuss with Superman."

With a nod from Aquaman, Dr. Fate lifted off the ground and teleported them all to the Metro Tower.

"They're on their way, Chuck," Logan said, looking through the mansion window into the sky and the large asteroid hanging threateningly in space. "At least, as many as Rogue and Ororo could find or I could reach by phone."

Charles nodded and followed Logan's gaze. "I still believe that you should be out there as well."

"And who would be here to protect you if they come, Charles?" Logan asked darkly. "Rogue is doing fine."

"Yes, she is." Charles turned his wheel chair toward the door of his study and rolled down the hall with Logan following. "Everyone I tried to reach through Cerebro also say they are on the way."

"Alright," Logan said and Charles didn't need telepathy to hear the frown in his voice. "Then why did you send Rogue out to go find them?"

Charles didn't answer for a moment. "I am afraid many of my former students have joined Magneto on Genoshia."

"Yeah, I guessed as much," Logan said. "And since Magneto helped you build Cerebro, he probably has the whole island protected by it like they way his helmet is?"

"I believe so," Charles said as they entered the concealed elevator that lead down to the X-Men basement. "Different, of course, as Eric's helmet must be worn to hide him from my mind, but the very same concept. The entire island is unreachable to me." The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Charles rolled out but Logan remained still.

"Charles," Logan said, evenly but disbelief was gradually growing. "Where _exactly_ did you send Rogue and Ororo?"

Charles stopped just outside the doors to Cerebro and let out a deep sigh. He gave Logan a sad look and didn't say anything. After a moment, Logan hurried into the hanger and out of sight. Seconds later, Charles could hear the jet fire up.

Cautiously, Rogue peered over the edge of the cliff that marked the end of the island and of Genoshia's borders. The relatively small island that the United States Government had given Magneto, partially as an apology, partially as a way to get him out of U.S. jurisdiction, was now home to thousands of mutants. Tired of the persecution and hatred they had received while trying vainly to blend in with the non mutants, they had readily accepted Magneto's offer that had been extended to all mutants and found a new home on Genoshia.

Many of the X-Men had joined him here, including that of Kurt Warner, Rogue's step brother. For him, the decision was a hard one but being blue and fuzzy had made the choice easier for him. After spending so much time with Professor Xavier, all of the X-Men knew not to trust Magneto further than they could throw him, yet the appeal to an island devoted to mutants and mutants alone still held allure.

What they apparently did not know was that Magneto, master of magnetism and electromagnetic fields, had cut off all communication to the island. For some, that meant no word from concerned parents who had been forced to stay behind in their respective countries. For the rest, that meant that no word of the tragedies going on around the world had been revealed to them. That was about to change.

Holding up a hand to Storm to have her stay put, Rogue hovered herself up and landed lightly on the ground. Trees lined most of the edging along the cliff, hiding the inner city from trespassers. For once, luck seemed to be on Rogue's side as the inevitable guards seemed to be absent for the moment.

She looked back over the cliff and nodded to Storm who levitated herself and Gambit to the ground with a gentle gust of wind. Together and nearly as quiet as shadows, they moved into the line of trees.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Gambit said, his thick Cajun accent sounding horse as he whispered. "This is Magneto's digs. He doesn't take kindly to trespassers, ya know."

"Then you should have stayed behind in Louisiana like I told ya, Cajun," Rogue said as she tried to quietly part a row of especially thick bushes.

"And let you to come traipsing though here all on your own?" Gambit said. "Pardon, you _and_ Storm."

"We woulda been fine," Rogue said. "We _will_ be fine. That is, if you can keep your big trap shut long enough for us to not get caught."

"I would suggest we all keep quiet until we have an idea as to what Magneto is planning," Ororo said pointedly, blending in better than either Rogue or Gambit ever could.

They broke through the final wall of trees and brush and saw the city Magneto had fashioned. Towers stood, reaching high into the sky like New York City, but all fashioned out of crude steel and glass-less windows that would lend quick entry and exits from the many fliers that took shelter here.

Smaller building made in the same way lay on the outskirts of the skyscrapers where it seemed the majority of the population resided, if the number of buildings was to be any indication. Many were of the simpler one story design while others accommodated several levels.

Reaching around the main city, a rocky cliff served as an outer wall near the far side, standing hundreds of feet into the air. Atop the highest point, a mansion stood with jutting spires and a royal heir to the place even from this far away.

"He never did like to do things small," Gambit muttered as his eyes traveled up the cliff to the mansion. "Seems a bit outta control these days, though."

"Never mind," Storm said. "We are not here for the decorations or to fight Magneto. We must gather what X-Men we can find as well as any others that are willing to help."

There was a loud _thump_ behind them and before anyone of the three could turn to look, two hairy arms reached out and grabbed Gambit and Storm around the neck and mouth and hauled them back into the darkness.

Rogue tore back into the woods to rescue them, her mind shifting slightly into the fighting mind of Ms. Marvel as she did so only to find her two teammates sitting on the ground, both coughing slightly but otherwise unhurt.

Rogue slowed to a stop, looking around in the darkness. After a moment of searching found a shadowy shape a few feet away. She narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on the shape and to her somewhat surprised delight, found Beast sitting back on a tree stump waiting for her.

"Mr. McCoy?" Rogue asked, dumb founded.

"The very same," Hank said, standing up and opening his arms wide. "How have you been, Rogue?"

She went over to him and gave him a big hug even as Gambit made some remark that he was fine under his breath.

"I apologize for the rude way of getting your attention but it was necessary," Beast said, releasing Rogue and addressing the others as well. "Magneto has eyes everywhere in this place."

"Yeah, great," Gambit said, stumbling to his feet slightly and finding a tree to lean coolly against. "And why, of all people, are you here, I wonder."

"Yes," Storm said in a tone of concern rather than accusation. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes," Beast said. "I am just her to keep an eye on Kurt and the others."

"Why?" Gambit asked.

"Oh, you know," Beast said, shrugging his massive shoulders. "We are in Magneto's domain, after all. I take it, you did receive my message?"

Rogue and Storm exchanged a look. "No, we didn't," Storm said.

Beast frowned. "Then what are you doing her, if I may ask?"

Now it was Rogue's turn to frown. "How long have ya been here, Beast? Have you any idea what state the world is in?"

"I've been here since Kurt left the Institute." Beast turned to Storm. "What's going on?"

"An excellent question." From a small gap in the trees above them, a man in full body armor and helmet floated silently down from center of the moon, a glint of gold replacing the spot where eyes should be. Magneto landed on the ground between them, his cape settling to just brush the ground. From the direction of the city, a streak of silver skidded to a stop. Pietro looked over the group then to his father.

"What do you want to do with them?" Pietro asked.

"Take them to the palace," Magneto said darkly. "They have a lot of explaining to do after they trespass onto my island."

To be continued...

This is exactly what we need, the X-Men! At least, if the powered up Rogue and Storm can get away from Magneto. Or can they convince the man of magnetism to join in the resistance?

And what about Fate's vision? Will it come to pass as this is the second time Fate has had this vision?

Things are beginning to look up as some serious firepower is assembling. And the real powerhouse is getting one last training session in otherworld. Will it be enough?

Stay tuned


	17. Chapter 15: Ultimate Alliance

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 15: Ultimate Alliance******

Once, Rogue reflected as Magneto flew them silently over the metal town and to the palace, a thick band of metal constricting around her arms and chest, she would have simply broke the metal around her with her acquired Ms. Marvel strength and forced her way free. In fact, that very thought had occurred to her several times during this relatively brief and uncomfortable flight but she was not a brash child any longer. She was a woman and she could now see the bigger picture.

Right now, the world needed all of those with power to work together if the Earth was to be saved and Magneto was not the type to have someone else's will forced upon him. He didn't need to be convinced that his help would be crucial, but persuaded that his help was in everyone's best interest. A near smile flickered across her face as she realized that Magneto's pride, not dissimilar to Caliwone's, was going to be a major factor in his decision, as would his hatred of humanity.

Slowly in the night sky, the group descended, the silver streak of Pietro pacing them on the ground. Rogue threw a casual glance over at Beast and Storm, both of whom had remained still and quiet through the affair so far, and Gambit, his latest bouts of struggled proving pointless, now remained still as well and a cross look on his face.

Below them, the palace grew larger, a metal monstrosity surrounding by withering trees on all sides with just enough life in them to sprout the lightest of green leaves. Spears and battlements seemed to jut up from the corners of the palace, giving the impression more and more like a castle as they approached. The entire place seemed windowless except for a few openings that looked down most directly onto the town of Genoshia.

Rogue was not surprised at all when, as they approached one of the most flat spaces along the palace landings, Magneto lifted a hand and the metal irised open, large enough to allow them entry. The ceiling closed after them and Magneto dropped them a few feet to the floor. Expecting something of the sort, Storm, Rogue, and Beast landed lightly on their feet while Gambit crashed hard on his rear.

"Now," Magneto said darkly, landing with his back to them to allow the X-Men to see his cape flow impressively down around him. "Explain why you trespass upon my island."

"I thought all mutants were welcome on Genoshia," Beast said coolly, watching Magneto closely.

"Of course all mutants are welcome," Magneto said smoothly, turning his helmeted head to face the others, his voice echoed inside, and shadow concealing his face. "But there are boundaries on Genoshia that no one shall enter for their own safety."

"We apologize if that was the case," Storm said diplomatically, even if her underlying tone was sardonic. "I hope you can understand our caution."

"Charles sent you," Magneto said darkly. "Why?"

"Why do you always assume that?" Gambit asked. "It's always about Xavier."

"It's called insight, Gambit," Magneto said, gliding over to his former man. "I know Charles and the way his mind works."

"He sent us because he saw you standing by and letting the devastation go untested," Rogue said sharply.

"What devastation?" Pietro asked.

"Nothing that concerns us," Magneto said, cutting off Rogue before she could even respond. "Just a problem that the humans are having."

"The humans, the Justice League, and those mutants who have chosen not to join you on Genoshia," Storm said. "They are all being slaughtered by the invaders."

Pietro's jaw dropped. "You knew about this?" he accused of his father.

"It does not concern us," Magneto replied, throwing a warning look over at Rogue and Storm. "My concern is to Genoshia and Genoshia alone."

"But what about everyone else?" Pietro asked disbelieving.

Magneto cut him off with a raised hand and turned back to face his prisoners. "You intend to destabilize Genoshia for this foolishness. I will not allow you to do that."

"We do not wish to do anything of the sort," Beast said. "Just looking for help."

"There is no help for you here," Magneto said. "You are to leave this place immediately."

"At least allow us to contact our X-Men," Beast insisted.

"They are no longer your X-Men," Magneto said, his eyes flashing. "However, it is not my intention to forcibly hold people here against their will. Pietro, go collect Kurt."

"Sure," Pietro said and vanished in a streak of silver down one corridor and out of the palace. A few moments later, there was a _crack_ of displaced air and a brief puff of sulfuric smoke as Kurt ported in with Pietro holding on to one shoulder.

"Rogue?" Kurt said surprised as Pietro stepped back. "Storm, Mr. McCoy, what are you doing here?" he asked as he hurried over to his step-sister. "Why are they tied up?" he asked, noticing the bindings that held them captive.

"They were trespassing in the restricted area," Magneto explained. "I have brought them here for questioning."

"Release them," Kurt demanded.

"Very well." With a flick of his wrist, the metal bindings fell off the four X-Men and clattered to the floor.

"We are here for you," Storm said. "And the other students." Kurt shifted a bit uncomfortably, probably assuming this was all about his decision to join Magneto on Genoshia.

"It's not what you think, Kurt," Rogue said gently. "Your decision to live here was only yours to make. We do not judge you for it."

"Then why did you come?" he asked, visibly relaxing.

"Because we need your help," Storm said. "We are getting the X-Men back together one more time."

From the far side of the group, Gambit snorted gently. "Probably will be last time for any of us."

"Ignore him," Rogue said, sending Gambit a cold look. "That asteroid that is hangin in orbit above us is inhabited by hostile aliens and they have been causing devastation across the planet."

"Thousands are dead, Kurt," Beast said. "Millions. Including the lives of Justice League members."

"That's awful," Kurt said in shock. Then he turned to Magneto. "Why did you keep this from all of us? We could have helped."

"My priority is to keep all of you safe," Magneto said smoothly. "As long as you remain here on my island, no harm will come to you."

"You should have still told us." Kurt ran a three fingered hand through his hair. "Oh man, not good."

"Tell us about it," Rogue said. "You in or not?"

"In," Kurt said. "Definitely."

"Then go get the others," Storm said.

"Pietro will accompany you," Magneto said with a nod toward his son. "He will ensure that you only inform the former X-Men. I will not allow panic to befall anyone else here."

Tony Stark, visionary and American patriot, cruised through the skies, paying little to no attention to the smoking wreckage of cities flashing beneath him, focusing instead on the wind roaring around him that not even his advanced Iron Man suit could completely block out. On his heads up display inside his helmet, Tony's route was laid out for him to follow. Slowly, the route dipped downward and a few moments later, Tony landed with a clank outside a secured military facility.

Flipping the front of his mask up, Tony walked a few steps forward and, feeling slightly ridiculous, knocked heavily on the door. The knock echoed grandly through the facility for a few moments before the security door buzzed open and two men stepped out. The first man was rather short but his rank more than made up for his size. His uniform was as crisp and lined as any he had ever seen.

The second man wore the traditional Air Force uniform with the name plate pinned to his upper right section of the uniform spelling out 'J. Rhodes' on it. The look on his face was leaning fairly heavily toward the disapproving. As usual, Rhodey was probably upset out his lateness.

"Hey, Rhodey," Tony said, shooting his friend an unconcerned smile. "What are we doing hanging out up here? Aren't the drinks downstairs?" Stepping past his friend, Tony made his way into the facility and into the freight elevator that would lead them down into the bowels of the base.

The gates closed as Rhodey pushed the button that would take them down and a few minutes later of somewhat uncomfortable silence except for the rumbles and clattering of the elevator itself, the gates trundled open, depositing them on the secured holding level. Huge banks of computers and sensitive equipment lined all of the walls except one that had been replaced by what looked to be triple strength bullet proof glass that showed into a small holding cell. Tony raised his eyebrows as he came closer and was able to see into the little room.

Green lights pulsed gently in a meditative and calming way around a single man sitting cross legged on the floor, his eyes closed, and his face expressionless. He was a small, wiry figure that looked nothing like what the stories had told but Tony knew far better than to be deceived. This man may very well be the key to Earth's survival.

"Alright, Rhodey," Tony said, taking a deep breath. "Let him out."

"Alright people," Rhodes said, getting the attention of all the staff with a tone of command in his voice. "Open the doors and be careful not to make any sudden movements that might startle him."

He got acknowledgements from the teams and a moment later, the thick steel door swung open. The man's eyes opened in surprise as the door than flicked over to the window. His eyes met Tony's and he stood up abruptly and walked into the main control room. The teams sat very still, silently watching as the man came to a stop in front of Tony.

"Bruce Banner," Tony greeted with a nod. "We could use your help."

"I cannot believe you sometimes, Stark," Fury said, running one hand through his silvery hair and sighing deeply. "The Hulk is unpredictable and untrustworthy. You do not enter into _my_ facilities and release dangerous persons without my say so."

"Relax, Colonel," Tony said, that almost permanent undertone of amusement thick in his voice. "It's for the best. Besides, that facility wasn't yours, remember? General Ross was placed in command."

Fury gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. "Yes, thanks for the reminder, Stark."

"My pleasure, Colonel," Tony said with a smile. "Now, is that why you called me down here?"

Colonel Fury raised his eyes coolly to Stark's. "No," he said. "Things here are getting worse by the day and we can't afford to not bring everything out of cold storage."

"So you _do_ agree with me then?" Tony said with a shake of his head. "Then why the big fuss over Banner?"

"You're missing the point." Fury lifted a controller and pointed it the blank wall behind Tony. A large flat screen descended from the ceiling as Tony turned to look, clanking on the solid cement floor. The screen winked on showing a picture of what looked to be a large frozen storage room. Icicles hung from the edges of shelves and bits of the ceiling and even one from the camera itself, cutting off part of the view.

Small cooling jets blew out frozen clouds of winter that curled around the rectangular box in the center where more icicles fell nearly to the floor and frosted the glass that made up the box that would normally showed its contents and giving the entire room a wintry feel. On the shelves, specialized monitoring equipment continued to work despite the obvious cold that would have shorted out any normal systems.

"I always knew you were cold hearted, Fury," Tony said with a shake of his head. "This your room?"

"You have proved on several occasions," Fury said, ignoring Tony's sarcasm, "of your brilliance-"

"You're making me blush, Colonel."

Fury paused just long enough to send Tony a withering glare, then continued. "I need to borrow your brain." Tony raised an eyebrow but left the obvious comments unsaid. Fury sighed. "Tell me what you know about Captain America, Stark."

Tony cocked an eyebrow but shrugged. "Not much, I guess. I know that during World War II the United States developed a crude but powerful way to genetically engineer super-soldiers and the Captain America was born from that. Sometime after the war, he vanished." Tony raised his other eyebrow to match the first. "I take it _not_ dead?"

"Not dead," Fury confirmed. "There was a price the Rogers paid for the genetic alterations. There was a flaw in the program that caused cellular break down in humans. Of course, it was only long after that did we realize that the flaw did not affect mutants. I'm sure you know of Wolverine of the X-Men?"

"I know him," Tony said.

"Back before the just the end of the war, he and Rogers destroyed all information on Operation Rebirth and the facility that housed it. At the time, there was no cure for Captain America so the higher ups froze him until such a time that a cure could be found." Fury leveled his gaze at the other man.

"Me?" Tony asked incredulously.

"We are running out of time here, Stark," Fury said. "Besides, I understand that you have some experience dealing with life threatening situations like that." He indicated the small reactor glowing blue in Tony's chest. "Perhaps it's not the exact same thing but I am confident that you can do it." Fury stood. "You will find all the information that you're going to need has already been delivered to your home. Once you have figured out the cure, be sure to let me know."

"Come on, Scott. Open the door." There was no sound that penetrated the locked apartment door even as a shadowed past briefly in front of the light source that could be seen under the dark wood door. "I know you're in there." Silence. At the door, Amara sighed, resting her forehead on the door and closing her eyes.

"Don't sweat it, Amara," Tabitha said, resting one hand on the Brazilian's shoulder. Toward the door, she said, "If you don't open up this door, I'll blow it open. You know I will."

From behind the door, they heard a quiet sigh and at last, the door opened. "What do you want?" Scott asked, his voice showing no sign of pleasure in seeing two of his old friends.

"Why won't you answer your cell anymore?" Amara asked, throwing herself into Scott's arms as Tabitha followed her in and closed the door.

"I don't _have_ a cell anymore." Scott said, reluctantly putting a hand around her shoulder.

"Figured as much," Tabitha said, setting down a picture frame she had found sitting on a somewhat battered table in the center of the living room. "No television, either. Or Radio," she added, looking around the room then back at Scott. "I can't believe you would move out of Bayville into the boonies like this."

"I don't need those things here," Scott said, extracting himself from Amara and turning to face Tabitha. "And so what if I had to get out of Bayville. What's it to you?"

"Easy there, cowboy," Tabitha said, lifting her hands non aggressively. "Just wondering where you've been all this time."

"And why you refused the Professor?" Amara stated, placing her hands on her hips and frowning.

"Look, if you two are hear on Xavier's orders than you can get out now," Scott said. "I already told him that I cannot help..."

"Yes, you can, Scott," Amara said earnestly. "You're one of the original X-Men. We need you."

"No one needs me," Scott said darkly and turned as if heading into his bedroom. "I cannot even save the one person who means the most to me. I left that life behind me."

Tabitha exchanged a look with Amara. "Scott, what you did that day saved hundreds of lives, maybe thousands or more," Amara said. "Even Jean-"

Scott cut her off with a withering expression behind his red tinted glasses and an upraised hand. "I don't care about all those thousands," he said. "Most of them I will never meet."

Amara looked at him in shock. "I was one of those people," she said softly.

Tabitha looked between the two for a moment before speaking. "You're such a coward, running away like that."

Scott looked at her in shock then in fury. "What do you know about it?" He roared.

"I know that if the roles were reversed and you had died instead of her, she would have continued to fight," Tabitha shot back. "She would have mourned, yes, but she wouldn't have hidden herself away like this and refused to help in a crisis like this."

"Who do you think you are?" Scott all but snarled. "No one knew Jean the way I did."

"Apparently, I knew her better than you did," Tabitha said.

"Tabby," Amara said warningly.

"Look inside of yourself, Scott, and if you really think what I am saying isn't true, then stay here and rot away for all I care. Let's go, Amara." Tabitha grabbed Amara by the arm and roughly pulled her over to the door and threw it open. "Hard to believe that someone like you had ever been considered for the Avengers Initiative." Reaching behind her back and pulled out an envelope and tossed it at his feet. She gave him one last glare then slammed the door shut behind her.

Scott reached down and picked up the envelope. It looked as though it had been opened and then resealed. It was addressed to Scott Summers from S.H.I.E.L.D. On the very top of the page, the words 'Avenger Initiative' were spelled out in big bold letters.

Charles Xavier rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked outward at the night sky and the sliver of silver hanging amidst the black velveteen sky. He wondered idly if Rogue and Storm had managed to contact the remnants of the X-Men on Genoshia or if they had run into trouble with Magneto. He winced slightly as he thought about the thousands probably dying at that instant and he was just sitting by and not doing anything about it.

From the bookshelf, a soft pinging noise started. Turning his chair in that direction, he clicked a button his chair and the bookshelf slid open to reveal a large control panel and monitor. Charles rolled into place in front of his view screen as the call continued to ping. Clicking a button, the view screen winked on. Smiling out at him was his X-Men. A smile spread across his face as Logan's head tilted into view.

"Hey, Chuck," Logan said. "Picked up Rogue and a few others from Genoshia."

"I can see that," Charles said, proudly meeting each of his students gaze in turn. "As well as some that I had contacted with Cerebro," he added, seeing Kitty in the back corner of the picture.

"Yeah," Logan said. "We should be back at the Institute in about an hour.

"Thank you," Charles said. "Thank you all. I look forward to seeing you all when you arrive."

To be continued...

Anyone else seem like it has been a while since we have heard anything significant from the Marvel Universe? Well, now it seems there is something major planned from them. Hopefully, it will measure up to the task that lays before them. And if Tony Stark can find a cure to Captain America, it would seem that we have a fighting chance again.

Let me know what everyone thinks of this one. There have been a rather significant shortage of these of late :(

Thank you to those who have.

This chapter will again be revised in the next couple days. I really got to stop waiting until the last minute to finish a chapter :P

Later

The Dark Prince


	18. Chapter 15 Special: The Enemy's Secret

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 15.5: The Enemy's Secret******

**Special**

Bruce Wayne removed one gauntleted glove and ran his hand over the top of his head, quietly disengaging the safety precautions on his mask and sliding his cowl off. With his other hand he reached to his computer and tapped a few choice keys. Like a fireworks display, the computer booted to life. Around the cave, lights winked on, revealing the turn table for his Batmobile, lighting the path down to the lower level of the cave where the Bat boat was docked, over his Rogue's gallery, and over the computer and work station where the mangled body of the alien Caliwone had killed now lay, still dripping blood lightly onto the floor.

Even under regular circumstances, the cave had always had the slightly moldy smell of decaying mice or rats and mold that inevitably inhabited dank places but the retching scent of the decomposing alien pushed even Bruce's toleration levels. One massive hand had fallen off the white table when Bruce had dumped the body it, its long finger tips hovering just an inch above the pool of blood that was slowly growing under the table.

"Victim of some late night party, sir?" Alfred asked, his ever present dry humor never faltering even under these circumstances.

"Hardly," Bruce said dryly as he inserted one hand into a surgeon's glove. "Or rather, a victim of our Saiyan ally."

"Ah," Alfred said, pulling out a pair of gloves of his own and letting the elastic ends to snap against his forearm. "I see now. The somewhat savage gash in the chest should have been a clue. I must be losing my touch."

"There is nothing wrong with your vision, Alfred," Bruce said as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the alien, both of his gloves now in place. "In fact, I was hoping to borrow your expertise."

"I will do what I can, of course," Alfred said. "What is it exactly that you are looking for?"

"Anything that might lend us insight into these aliens and how to beat them." Bruce narrowed his eyes as he looked hard into the open gash that had tore through a vast majority of the chest cavity, laying it wide open. "Maybe a weakness?"

"I see," Alfred said, peering in the wound as well. Reaching a gloved hand in, Alfred felt around inside the alien, feeling for any kind of organs he could identify or bones. Bruce watched for a moment, always amazed at how willing Alfred had always been to assist in any way that he could. And still in his butler's tuxedo, no less.

Bruce collected a blood sample while Alfred continued about his business and put it under the microscope. They worked in silence for few minutes, the only sound being that of the squeaks of bats and the squelching coming from Alfred and the alien. Bruce watched carefully at the blood sample, feeling a twinge of horror flicker through him as he watched as something in the blood continued to live. Adjusting the microscope, he looked harder.

"It occurs to me, Master Bruce, that this hulking alien seems rather familiar," Alfred said, removing his hand and reaching for one of several surgical tools.

"Your right, Alfred," Bruce said, his voice low. "I need to contact the League immediately. Keep searching but we have a major problem."

Flash rocked his chair back, leaning it precariously close to tipping the chair over and playing with a pencil in his mouth. Sitting in the room with Wally was only the Amazon Princess. She was glowering down at the table, completely ignoring Wally as she fumed silently. These days, it was a wonder to no one as to what was bothering her.

Wally mentally shrugged, not taking offensive to being ignored by his friend. In all honesty, the feeling was something that Wally had been use to for some time now. For some reason, people seemed to not take him seriously. Idly, he continued to try and balance the pencil on the tip of his tongue until with a hiss, the sliding door slid open and Superman walked imperiously into the room, his red cape flowing behind him. Following fast on his heels, J'onn Jon'zz followed.

"Hey, Supes," Flash said, dropping the pencil to the table and leaning his elbows on the table.

"Hello, Flash," Superman said with a tight smile. "How is everything in West City?"

Flash shrugged lightly. "As good as can be expected. I got my aunt Iris out before the invasion made it to West City. Most of the others made it out, too."

Superman nodded solemnly. "Same with Metropolis. So far, though, it seems to have been spared of any major invasion force." Before a response could be had, the dark imposing figure of Batman strode through the sliding door, a single manila folder held in one hand. He stopped at the head of the table, paying little attention to the glare that Diana was directing his way, and looked around.

"Where is Green Lantern and Shayera?" he asked darkly. "I thought I told you to assemble all of the original members."

"We don't know where John or Shayera are at the moment," Superman said. "Their comms. have been destroyed and there is too much confusion in the world right now for J'onn to find telepathically."

Batman was silent for a moment before dropping the folder onto the table. "We have a problem-"

"I hadn't noticed," Diana growled under her breath. Batman gave her a dark look out of the corner of his eye then continued on.

"These are not just any random group of aliens. Have you noticed anything strange or familiar about these aliens when you have fought them?"

"What do you mean?" Flash asked, sitting a little straighter in his seat.

Batman sent a look around the group and ending on Superman. "I am surprised that you, of all people, hadn't noticed."

Superman frowned. "I don't understand."

"At any point have any of the League used their powers on these aliens more than once?"

"I don't know," Superman said, frowning harder. "Yes, now that I think about it. When Caliwone, Helena, and I fought the first alien."

"And if tried again, the attacks did not work, did they?" Batman asked.

Superman thought back to the battle. "No, they didn't actually."

"Rather reminiscent of Doomsday, isn't it?" Batman asked.

Superman's jaw dropped. Flash nearly fell over in his seat, nearly taking Wonder Woman with him as she sat stunned in her seat.

"That's impossible," Diana said, for the moment forgetting her anger at Bruce. "Doomsday was flown into the sun."

"He must have been picked up in space before he reached the sun," Batman said. "Either way, I have run the tests. The blood matches closely with that of Doomsday with only minor contamination with that of what has to be the alien's natural blood."

"And with the aliens genetics altered to match that of Doomsday, the same attack will not work twice on the same alien," J'onn said, his tone indicating deep thought.

"That just means that we need to make sure the attack works the first time," Diana said.

"It's worse than that," Batman said, opening the folder and sliding the pictures and notes into the middle of the table. He gave them a minute to look at what he had brought. "Nanites," he answered the unspoken question. "Highly advanced Nanites living in the blood stream. Whenever an attack is used on one alien, the body remembers the attack and the Nanites reads this information and then sends them up to the mother ship to be redistributed out to all of the aliens. In short, once an attack is used on one alien, all others become immune to that attack."

The room was silent as that information sank in.

"What do we do?" Flash asked into the silence.

No one answered. Even Batman remained silent, speaking louder than any words ever could have. If the Bat didn't have any ideas, then they were all in really deep trouble.

To be continued...

Now we know the true depth of the trouble that the Earth and her heroes are facing.

I don't think anyone could have ever guessed things would be this bad.

A little special for you guys to get insight.

Hope you guys enjoyed it

The Dark Prince


	19. Chapter 16: Death and Rebirth

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 16: Death and Rebirth******

Batman stood silent in the heart of Gotham. Night had colored the sky black but with all the light pollution sponsored by the thousands of street lamps that were spaced every other couple of meters from each other and the lights of the thousands of lights inside the tall buildings, night was rarely ever dark. Now though, with most of Gotham's tenants gone and none left to leave lights on, Gotham was darker now than Bruce had ever seen it in recent memory.

Lazily, as if the stop lights had missed the memo, they continued to direct traffic that wasn't there, bathing Batman in greens, yellows, and reds as he stood still in the middle of the intersection. He didn't seem to notice, his eyes forward and searching, his mind alert, his ears listening carefully. Because of his experience and the enhancements that his suit afforded, he heard the thunderous approach of the army of aliens that had finally made it to his home town.

Not too long after, Bruce could begin to see the first row of aliens, marching forward like an unstoppable army. He grimaced, knowing that he was no match for these things in terms of strength. He would have to outsmart them and get rid of them all at once. It had been he, he knew, that had found the connections with these aliens and Doomsday. The same attack would not work on these things twice. Even if he managed to bring down one of these Doomsday clones or whatever they were, the next would be immune to the attack. But at the same time, Bruce could never abandon Gotham. He would fight and possibly die for the city that he and his parents before him, had fought so hard to save.

He swallowed hard as the aliens approached, but he narrowed his eyes behind the mask and calmed his racing heart. Batman flexed the fingers of his right hand lightly as they came within his long range striking distance and a batarang slid out of the suit near his wrist and into his hand, sliding open with only the faintest _clink_.

He could see their massive bodies covered in glinting armor, that ugly multi-jawed face on the extended neck. He could almost smell the putrid breath as they exhaled hot breath. His nose wrinkled reflexively as he imagined it, his distaste and anger at these things and what they had done to this planet, to the people he was suppose to protect. His hand gripped harder on the batarang as he thought about the many Justice League lives that had been lost, killed trying to fight these things along with the everyday heroes like the police and firefighters.

His mind strayed for just a moment, hoping that Commissioner Gordon had gotten out safe along with Barbara. He was almost certain they had. Despite their falling out, Bruce held Barbara in such high esteem. She knew how to take care of herself and the people she was trying to protect. That, and after the initial attacks, most of the major cities had been deserted while their former inhabitants seeked shelter elsewhere. That meant that Gotham was effectively abandoned. If he were to fail, no one else would get hurt in this city.

He cocked his right hand back, ready to fire his batarang, his eyes narrowed in concentration as the party came closer. He could see now the cement cracking under each footstep with the weight and power of the aliens. His hand twitched as the weight of what he was trying to accomplish here sank in. Superman, Helena, and Caliwone had barely managed to kill one of these and had nearly cost them all their lives. He had seen the shape Helena had been in after the fight. what chance did he really have?

For a moment, his mind flicked down to his utility belt and the lead lined compartment that held the kryptonite he always carried. He and Alfred had tested the kryptonite on against the dead alien's DNA after carefully removing all traces of the Nanites and there seemed to be no effect. So much for wishful thinking.

There was a crack from behind him and without thinking, Batman threw himself forward as an alien smashed two massive fists into the ground where he had been. His surprise at the sudden attack from behind lasted just long enough for him to roll to his feet. Reaching back again, he flung the batarang at the offending alien and with a sound like slicing meat, the batarang sank into the muscled neck of the alien. With a quiet beep, a red light pulsed for a second before the batarang detonated, clouding the alien's upper body with black smoke. Batman could see the alien stagger slightly, probably not expecting the explosion but when the smoke cleared, the alien was perfectly fine.

Swearing slightly under his breath, Batman got to his feet and eyed his enemies. They watched him in silence for a moment, considering him. It didn't last. Like a rumbling train, the group surged forward, nearly climbing over one another to get at him. With a flare from his rocket boots, Batman launched into the sky and dropping a hand full of smoke bombs to help cover his flight. Several massive hands swept through the air as they tried to grab him, scrapping and clawing as their momentum kept them from adjusting their path.

Reaching down to his belt, Batman pulled another batarang out of his belt and hurled it down. It whistled through the air and sank into anther of the aliens as they turned and released a potent cloud of green mist. The alien paused, its face contorting slightly at what must have been a terrible smell. Slowly, it teetered on the spot as the gas seeped further into its bloodstream then fell forward onto the ground with a thunderous crash.

Batman smiled tightly. All of the other aliens would now be immune to the effects of that particular gas but the cost was well worth it. Bruce Wayne had access to many different kinds of potent gases that he now knew would work on these aliens and he could conceivably find a way to distribute the poisons simultaneously across the world. In which case, the aliens would not have time to become immune to them. This system would also explain one lingering question Batman had had about why they sent an advanced scout to Earth. During its time here, it would have been exposed to all sorts of Earth bound ailments all the way down to the common cold. Once the ship arrived, that immunity would have been passed down to all the troops.

Batman landed atop a building and looked down in time to see several of the aliens leap halfway up the building on a single jump then climb up after him. Taking several steps back, Batman set out several small explosives at key points of the building and just as the first of the aliens made it up, Bruce clicked a button and the explosives blew up. Under the roof top, the pillars shuddered and collapsed, slowly at first, giving Batman time to jump and fly over to another building as the first one collapsed in on itself, burying the aliens under tons of concrete and steel.

He never made it to the adjacent building. In mid flight, a massive blow sent him spiraling downward toward the ground. Try as he might, he could not regain his balance in the air and with a burst of rockets, hurled himself sideways and change his momentum. Even with that effort, he slammed hard into the ground, skipping across one parked car and slamming full tilt into another with enough force to cave the side in and rock the vehicle onto two wheels. He sent a silent thanks to the heavens as he rolled gingerly onto his feet that his Beyond suit had been able to absorb most of the impact.

Over in the mass of rubble that had been the building Batman had destroyed, the aliens that had been caught in the collapse now pushed their way out; walking by the single alien that still lay unconscious on the ground. Batman took a step back as they approached, spreading out to try and quietly surround him. He shot a quick look behind him, double checking that the aliens were not already there. Despite their brutish appearance, Bruce had to continually remind himself that these were exceptionally intelligent creatures and quite at home with advanced technology.

As it was, the visor in his mask beeped a warning, highlighting a strip of ground. Focusing on it, he could see that it was a cleverly laid trip wire that would likely snare him rather than blow him up. They must have laid it while he played demolitions.

Before he could turn back, there was a thunderous roar that echoed through the city. Even the aliens paused for a moment, alert to a new potential threat. Nothing was visible coming down any of the many streets nor could any of Batman's limited sensors detect any approach. He looked up. Dropping from the sky like some insane bomb came a mass of flailing limbs and a powerful body.

Between Batman and the aliens, the large green body of the Hulk crashed into the ground as the chopper with the S.H.I.E.L.D. markings that had carried the Hulk pulled hard for distance in the night sky, nearly invisible behind the bright lights that lit up Gotham. The thunderclap of the rotors faded away, leaving only the heavy growling breathing of the Hulk.

Slowly, the Hulk stood and turned to face Batman, its eyes burning with rage. Batman did not back away. He met the Hulks eyes and slowly lifted a hand and pointed past the Hulk toward the aliens. The Hulk huffed angrily, turning its attention toward the aliens who, determining the Hulk was an enemy, began to rush forward again.

It was the wrong move.

Beating its massive fists on the ground, the Hulk roared and launched itself into battle.

Beside Batman, Captain Atom landed, watching as the Hulk threw itself frantically into the battle.

"Why didn't you call for help?" Captain Atom asked as they watched, giving Batman time to rest.

"The League is spread thin enough as it is," Batman said. "This is my city."

"I understand that," Captain Atom said understandingly, "but we need you. Dying for your city probably isn't the best choice right now."

"I couldn't ask for that," Batman said. "My home is no more important than anyone else's."

Captain Atom nodded grimly. "Well, you didn't have to ask. We are here to help. Thank Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. for this one."

Batman's lip curled reflexively. "Great. I guess if you want to fight for Gotham, I am not going to stop you."

"Sounds good, then," Captain Atom said. He launched himself forward, careful to avoid getting into range of the Hulk whose arms were flailing about brutishly. Several of the aliens already lay unconscious or dead on the ground around him as they pushed forward. The Hulk roared as he was lifted off the ground by one of the aliens and thrown. Batman ducked as the Hulk flew past, crashing into a building behind him. With a roar, the building collapsed on top of him throwing smoke and rocks outward in a cloud of devastation.

Batman hurried over to the building, ready to help dig the Hulk out but before he reached the pile, the Hulk exploded out and threw itself back into the fight. Batman watched for a moment more but he was never the type to sit on the sidelines unnecessarily. A batarang slid into his hand and he threw it. It whistled through the air and clanked loudly against one of the alien's helmeted armor. Slowly, it turned to face Batman. He lifted a hand and motioned it forward.

With a snarl, it lurched forward. Batman waited until the last moment then burst forward, bringing his knee up hard under the alien's multi-jawed chin, and then brought his elbow down hard on top of its head. Batman's knee and elbow pulsed with pain even with the suit absorbing most of the impact but he was still only human.

One massive hand reached out and grabbed Batman around the waist and slammed him to the ground. Batman struggled but he was far too weak to resist the alien, seeing as it was effectively as strong as Doomsday. It reached another hand out and gripped Batman's head and face. Batman gritted his teeth as he fought to keep his neck from breaking. He felt his mask slipping back at the force being applied. He closed his eyes as the masks' visual sensors crept up over his eyes until with a sudden hiss, the security gas flushed its reserve. The alien abruptly released Batman as the it swiped at its eyes as the gas burned and blinded it.

Batman rolled to his feet just as another alien was hurled through the air and took out the staggering alien that Batman was facing. He looked after them, pulling his mask back on properly, as they climbed off of each other.

"Watch yourself," Captain Atom shouted as he struggled to fend off one of the aliens as it tried with gathering success to grab his throat.

He opened his mouth to retort but the Hulk's thunderous roar cut him off. Most of the attention of the alien's were heavily focused on the him, mauling and chocking him as best they could even as the Hulk swung about, blood being flung in all directions from gashes along his chest and back but even as Batman watched, the Hulk seemed to shrug them off and lifted his arms.

"Hulk, SMASH!"

With astounding force, the Hulk slammed its fists onto the ground. The pavement erupted around him, tossing the aliens in all directions and sending fissure like cracks out in several directions. It was an awesome display of power that might have worked more effectively if the alien that was leaping into the air behind the Hulk had been caught in the attack as well. With a powerful blow at the base of the neck, the Hulk was laid flat and unconscious on the ground. Slowly, the Hulk's body reconfigured back to that of the skinny Bruce Banner.

Batman moved quickly, rushing in and grabbing Banner just as Captain Atom flew in to cover. His suit was battered and scrapped, the atomic man breathing heavily as he tried to continue to fight. But there were too many of them. With the Hulk out of the fight, the attention was focused onto Captain Atom. And Bruce.

There was a sudden blow to Batman's back hard enough to disrupt his suits electronics and sending static arcing across his suits visor. He felt his body skip across the ground and through a gate or metal fence of some sort before coming to a halt against something hard. His vision cleared to show him a park and Banner sprawled across the ground not too far away.

Bruce felt his heart race slightly as he recognize where he was. It was the Thomas and Martha Wayne Memorial Park, built in honor of two of Gotham's most prestige's citizens who had been killed trying to heal Gotham by one of those people in need of healing. He looked up and saw the large bronze statue of the couple that stood in the center of the park.

There was a yell from the direction of the grouped aliens and a ball of blue light hurtled away from them to crash with the force of a meteor near Batman. Bruce stood up shakily and went over to Banner. Picking him up and throwing him over one shoulder, he went over to check on Captain Atom. He was lying on the ground, struggling to keep the new tear in his suit from expanding, inevitable though it was.

"Are you alright?" Batman asked, sneaking a peek back toward the aliens. They were marching steadily toward them and the park.

"No," Captain Atom said, sounding desperate. "But I have an idea to get these guys."

Batman cocked an eye. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, whatever you are going to do," Batman said, eyeing the tear in Captain Atom's suit warily," remember that it will only work once. Make sure it counts."

"No need to worry about that," Captain Atom said with a sad smile. "This kind of thing is a onetime use."

Batman held Captain Atom's eyes for a moment before shifting his grip on Banner's unconscious body to shake his hand. "It has been an honor."

"The honor was mine," Captain Atom said. He straightened and faced the rushing group of aliens just coming around the far corner.

"I have an idea that might help."

Captain Atom threw a glance back at Batman but nodded silently. "We don't have much time."

"I'll be right back." With a flare of his rocket boots, Batman took off to the distance and dropped Banner onto the ground in the far distance then flew back to find Captain Atom on his knees, clutching the rip in his chest where blue light now glowed through.

"Whatever you are going to do," Captain Atom said through gritted teeth, "do it."

"Alright," Batman said as the aliens flooded through the streets, coming around several other corners to prevent escape. "Captain-" Batman paused but now was not the time for pride to get in the way. "Thank you." He launched himself into the air and threw all of his specialized batarangs down at the aliens. Lightning arced outwards from the batarangs, pulsing dangerously. The aliens, caught in the pulse, shuddered as the lightning arced from one alien to the other, freezing them in place for a single moment. But that was all Captain Atom needed. With a yell, Captain Atom tore open his suit and expelled every ounce of his atomic body outward and, like a bomb, incinerating buildings, streets, and the aliens in one swift blast of blue and white.

Batman burned away from the blast as fast as he could, buffeted only slightly as the shockwave past by him. He landed on the hilltop near the still unconscious Banner and turned back to look at the blue and white expanding sphere as it slowly dissipated, leaving the better part of Gotham in smoldering ruins. The Thomas and Martha Wayne Memorial Park was reduced to only so much ash now, wiping the last remnants of his family's legacy clean with the rest of Gotham.

The last bits of the blue atomic blast faded away into starlight along with his hopes of saving Gotham. If humanity survived, Gotham would rebuild, with or without him. Picking up Banner and sending one final silent farewell to Captain Atom, Batman flew from the city, feeling it best not to let Banner absorb any more radiation than what he had already.

Tony Stark rubbed his chin thoughtfully with one hand while gently shaking his glass of Whisky in the other, the ice clanking lightly. In the background, rock played loudly, giving Tony sufficient background noise to allow him to focus on thinking. On the desk in front of him, papers lay scattered all around and pressed up against the cold half bottle of Glenlivet Scotch Whisky. Jarvis remained silent, letting his creator think and let his imaginative and brilliant mind work. Tony set his glass down with a muted _clink_, sliding his hands over the spread papers and knocking them to the floor;

"This is stupid," Tony said after a minute. "Jarvis?"

"Here, sir," the computer responded, quieting the music in order to communicate more effectively.

"Take a digital copy of all these print outs so I can actually do some work."

"Of course, sir," Jarvis said. From the ceiling, scanners flicked on and scanned across the room starting at the furthest flung print out and moving toward Tony. "Scan complete," Jarvis said after the scanners shut down.

"Project it," Tony said, standing up and looking at the perfectly displayed copies that now hovered in the room around him, treading on most of the fallen originals.

"Interesting," Tony said, dragging a finger tip through the air in front of one of the documents and the words highlighted themselves. "Here and here," he added, highlighting several more bits of information.

"The root problem here, sir, is the degeneration caused by Operation Rebirth is difficult to isolate and cure. Since the disease was caused by unnatural causes, the amyloid inside the cells is elusive and normal treatments would be rendered ineffectual within a matter of hours."

"Thanks for the biology lesson," Tony said distractedly as he highlighted several more key sections of the many pages. "Do me a favor and tell me something useful next time."

"My apologies, sir," Jarvis said. "I will try and tell you only information that _you _would find useful."

"Is that sarcasm, Jarvis?" Tony asked.

"I was never programmed with sarcasm," Jarvis said sarcastically.

"Uh-huh," Tony said. "Keep it to a minimum, huh?" He snapped his fingers and Jarvis reorganized the highlighted sections into bullet points in the air.

"Searching my data-bases for any information pertaining to your selections, sir," Jarvis said.

"Project it over by the work bench." Tony walked over to the large high table in the middle of the open room after refilling his cup. Jarvis had the information ready by the time Tony took his first sip. He read the bullets he had selected silently for another few moments, draining his glass once more.

"It occurs to me," Tony said, looking wistfully back toward his whisky bottle. "If this Operation Rebirth project caused cellular degeneration in normal humans, what happens to mutants?"

"From records obtained from Colonel Fury, the cellular degeneration does not plague mutants," Jarvis answered promptly.

"Alright," Tony said. "I know S.H.I.E.L.D. has a DNA sample of that X-Man Wolverine. He has incredible regeneration abilities. Run simulation of a partial transfusion into the contaminated cells."

"Yes, sir," Jarvis said. "Presuming Captain America's body accepts the transfusion?"

Tony waved a hand dismissively. "That's not a problem. Look through S.H.I.E.L.D. files labeled under project White Wash."

"I see, sir," Jarvis said. "No doubt withheld for profitable reasons?"

Tony shrugged. "Probably. People like Fury and SH.I.E.L.D. need a source of off the books funding. What are the results?"

For answer, a simulated video winked into existence showing the contaminated cells, colored green for identification, next to uncontaminated white colored cells, and Wolverine's red colored cells. Wolverine's cells began to duplicate, beginning to crowd out the other two even as the contamination spread to the white cells. And then all of a sudden, Wolverine's cells attacked both of the other cells, annihilating them completely.

"Results seem to be negative," Jarvis said unnecessarily.

"I can see that, thanks," Tony said, a frown creasing his forehead. He had almost been completely convinced that had been the solution. "Any ideas?"

"You are the prodigy, not I, sir," Jarvis said.

"Don't forget it," Tony said. "Alright, what about this? Would it be possible to recreate the X-Gene within Captain America rather than try to infuse other mutant DNA within him? That way we wouldn't have to worry about the mutant cells trying to take over the host body."

"In theory that could work, sir, but this kind of genetic engineering has never been successfully completed," Jarvis said warningly.

"Tell you what," Tony said, walking over to his desk and putting on his glasses. "Send all information that you can dig up to my PDA and tell me when you have a sim ready."

"Of course, sir," Jarvis said. "May I ask where you are going?"

"Going to talk with an expert. Don't wait up for me."

To be continued...

Everyday, the League is loosing more and more people, and even the Incredible Hulk cannot stop them on his own. What does this mean for our heroes? And where is the story's hero, Caliwone? Does Vegeta really have a idea on how to save the planet or can Caliwone even learn the technique in time? Stay tuned and find out on the next exciting episode of Dragon Sagas! (Been wanting to do that for a while ;P)

So over the last couple chapters I feel like no one is reading because I think I have maybe 3 reviews in almost as many weeks. Please take the time and review to let me know if you guys even like the story anymore. I cannot improve unless you, the readers, tell me what needs improving.

Thanks


	20. Chapter 17: Revival

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 17: Revival******

Charles Xavier's eyebrows rose slightly as the rumble of the white and black sports car shut off in front of the large manor. Tony Stark got out of the vehicle and walked over to the main door with a casual swagger. As was consistent with popular media of the man, he was dressed in full and expensive looking business suit and over large designer glasses covering a good portion of his face with a smile bordering on a smirk.

"Good morning, Mr. Stark," Charles said, greeting him as he walked up the steps. "What brings you here?"

"Morning, Wheels," Tony said, removing the glasses from his face and squinting slightly into the morning sun. "Got a couple of questions about mutants. Figured you would be the best person to talk to."

Charles nodded slightly, ignoring the greeting. "Perhaps a phone call would have surfaced?"

"Not for something this sensitive," Tony said.

"In an alien invasion you're worried about tapped lines?" Charles asked with a hint of amusement.

"Not mine," Tony said, walking past Charles and into the mansion. "Yours."

"Alright," Charles said, turning and following Stark into the manor. Several feet into the manor, Tony rounded a corner to find Logan leaning casually against one wall.

"Hey, buddy," Tony said with a smile and pat on his shoulder as he walked past. There was a muted _shink_, and Tony came to an abrupt halt as Wolverine's three blades rested across the front of Tony's suit. "Logan, right?"

"That's right, bub," Logan said, meeting Tony's eyes unblinkingly. "I know who you are. S.H.I.E.L.D.s little puppet."

"I don't know about that," Tony said with an easy smile. "But actually, you knew Captain America, didn't you?" Logan snarled, his claws pressing a little harder into Tony's chest. "Why don't you join us?"

"Maybe I will," Logan snarled, retracting his claws allowing him to pass.

Charles nodded slightly, raising a hand to calm him down.

"Nice piano," Tony said running a hand over one side of the burgundy instrument. "Steinway?"

"Cristofori," Charles corrected.

"Ah," Tony said, bringing himself around to the front and sitting down at the keys. Lifting his hands, he began to play. It was a classical piece but definitely no Beethoven. Still, from everything he had heard about Stark, Charles wouldn't have guessed that he would know something that could be considered refined.

"Let's get down to it," Logan said. "What is it you want?"

"Trying to learn something about the X-Gene that makes a mutant a mutant," Tony said, continuing to play. "Got a little project going on and Jarvis could only pull up limited information on what I need. Thought you might be a better source."

"I will do what I can," Charles said. "How specialized are you looking for?"

The music stopped as Tony ran a hand through his hair and turned a more serious attention toward the two mutants. "Fury has asked me to do something that I am not really sure how to feel about."

"What is it?" Charles asked.

Tony's eyes flicked to Logan. "He wants me to resurrect Captain America."

"_WHAT?_" Logan roared.

"Hold on," Tony said, raising a hand to prevent Logan from diving off the deep end. "Firstly, Fury didn't come to this decision lightly but with the world the shape it is in, we figured that the world could use a hero like Captain America back."

"We?" Logan snarled.

"Fury," Tony corrected. "I happen to think he might be right. We need all the help we can get."

"You listen to me," Logan said taking a step closer to Tony. "Rogers is sick. You can't just let him wake up in the state he is in. He will die."

"Which is why Fury came to me," Tony said. "He gave me all the specs available on Operation Rebirth and everything he has on Captain America's condition. Unnatural Amyloid rooted itself into his cells causing cellular degeneration that cannot be cured by any conventional means because it is an artificial variant. There are other factors but the bottom line is that it affects normal humans but not mutants." Tony shifted his eyes back to Charles.

"And you need to know how to recreate mutant DNA." Charles ran a hand over his bald head

"You have got to be kidding me," Logan said, still angry.

"You said you would help however you could," Tony reminded Xavier. "Were those just words or did you mean it?"

"You are going to be fine, John," Shayera said, resting a hand on John's slumped shoulders for the umpteenth time.

"No, I'm not," John said, again for the umpteenth time.

"Sure you will," Helena said, walking over to the two and lightly straining the water out of her hair. "Besides, that ring doesn't make you the warrior. You have proved that countless times in the past."

"But the ring gave me the power I needed in order to fight," John said. "Without it, I could be the most talented fighter in the universe and it still wouldn't matter."

"I don't believe that's true, John," Shayera said. "You can always make a difference, whether you are fighting or not. The ones who aren't always fighting make the biggest difference."

John put a hand on Shayera's. "Thanks." Shayera smiled down at him and hugged him hard.

Helena rolled her eyes slightly, knowing from experience that these two would begin swapping spit any second. They had been doing that for the last five days now and frankly, she was sick of it and that annoying sucking sound that went with it. Why God had to create such a sound was beyond her but it would seem that both God and the universe loved to find new ways to torment her.

She settled for straining the rest the water from her hair with her back to the two on a large rock nearby, then drying it with a controlled wave of energy. It was a trick she had learned while under Slade's employ since he was never the type to catered to female necessities in his training camp. Like all things in her life, she had either made do with what she had or had found a way around them.

She stood, ready to ask Shayera what their next move should be, but the sounds of sucking loud enough that could be mistaken for one trying to eat the others face off their head held her tongue. With a snort of disgust, Helena walked back down to the river.

Morning had come not more than an hour ago yet the sky was alive with vibrant oranges and yellows that reflected off of the calm water of Pristine Lake. Lifting herself gently from the sand, she glided over the water, allowing her left big toe to drag lightly through the liquid coolness. Morning mist still rolled lightly over the water, slowly obscuring her from the beach. She continued forward closing her eyes and allowing her other senses do the driving. She frowned, her stretched senses picking up a hissing sound around her. She opened her eyes and tried to spot the source, thinking maybe a snake or something was nearby but there was nothing obvious.

That was when something huge and heavy fell on her, forcing her down into the water with a spectacular splash. A burst of bubbles exploded out of her mouth by the unexpectedness of the attack, obscuring her vision of her attacker with a flurry of bubbles but even without sight, the massive hand closing around her neck was all the indication she needed.

She swung a hand up, the movement seeming agonizingly slow under the water, and trying to break the aliens grip but was forced to move her head instead as the aliens face arced forward, snapping at her face. With a blast from her other hand, she blew the alien off just as they reached the bottom of the lake.

She bounced off the lake bottom slightly as the alien itself landed heavily on its feet and she immediately pushed off toward the surface and air. She had barely started upward when the alien's hand reached up, grabbed her by the leg, and slammed her back down to the floor. Bouncing back up to her feet, Helena's hand reflexively went to her throat as the lack of air started to get to her. She looked up as the alien started forward, a cloud of fish scurrying out of the way as the beast kicked up clouds of mud in its wake, its eyes locked onto her and ready to prevent any more attempts to reach the surface. That left one option.

The edges of her red hair glowed yellow as her eyes glowed blue. All around her, steam bubbles rose around her even as the water itself began to swirl around her. On the surface of the lake, the calmness that had been the hallmark of Pristine Lake was now roiling and swirling. As her transformation took hold and her yellow aura blazed around her, the water burst away, standing high in a full circle around them similar to the stories of Moses as her power forced it away.

Air engulfed her and she gasped for a moment, stumbling slightly with the sudden return of gravity as the buoyancy that gave her the feeling of weightless evaporated. At the rim of the towering water, Helena could see Shayera circling above out of her peripheral vision but paid her no mind. Shayera was ineffectual against these things and John was currently ringless. That meant it was up to her to kill this alien.

She rushed forward, skidding to a stop just short of the alien and missing its vicious first swing. She countered with back fist and simultaneously blocked a kick from the brute. She ducked a counter blow and swung a right kick up and around that landed hard along the alien's armored neck. She was forced to continue to rotate, a bad position as it put her back to the alien, to dodge another blow.

As she finished the turn, she swung her left hand down and blocked the kick she knew was coming, slapping it away and bringing her right hand up in an uppercut. The alien moved its head just enough to make her miss and brought both of its arms around as if trying to smash her between them. She brought her own arms close to her body and blocked the crushing attack with her forearms. With her left hand, she grabbed hold of the aliens right arm tried a palm heel strike but the aliens foot struck first.

The blow sank into her stomach with such force that her legs where nearly knocked out from under her. She reached a hand down briefly to help keep her balance but before she could ready herself for another attack, the alien's hand had gripped around her throat and it helmeted head lanced forward and crashed hard into her forehead.

She reeled backward as the force of the blow had knocked her out of its own hand and she felt blood run down her face just before the tower of water that her power had been holding back broke and crashed down on top of her. The water swirled and threw her around like being flushed down a toilet for a few moments before something grabbed her and hauled her from the unsettled lake by the waist. It was a green vice.

The vice set her down gently on the ground at the edge of the water just as Shayera flew over and John ran down to her as the green vice faded away. Helena shoved Shayera away and wiped a hand to clear the blood from her eyes just in time to see the glowing green figure hovering in the sky shoot another beam of green into the water and haul a struggling alien out of the water. Lifting it above the green figure, the alien was shot out of the atmosphere in deep into space.

Helena struggled to her feet and stood shoulder to shoulder with John as the figure flew over to them. It was another Green Lantern, this one human like John but with wavy brown hair and mask that covered his eyes and nose. His eyes looked Helena up and down for a moment with a slight smile on his face and ran his hand unconsciously through his hair before turning his attention to John.

"Hey, John," Kyle Rayner said with a big smile. "Been a long time."

"No kidding," John said, reaching out and shaking hands with his fellow Lantern as Kyle landed. Then John's face saddened. "I guess you're here to replace me."

Kyle continued to smile and reached a hand outward. "Not quite." Opening his hand palm upward, Kyle revealed a single power ring. John stared at it for a moment before returning his gaze to Kyle. "The Guardians are unsure as to what happened with your ring or even how it was even possible but they seem to think that if you are still worthy of the ring, then you are still welcome as a Lantern."

Helena looked at it hard for a moment before reaching forward and grabbing the ring, and placing it on the ring finger of her left hand. It subsequently popped off as if spring loaded and landed back in Kyle's hand.

Kyle grinned at her even as John and Shayera both sent disapproving looks her way. "Don't worry, babe, not everyone was meant to be a Lantern."

Helena met his eyes and shrugged slightly. "I'm alright without it." With that, she lost her transformation, her golden hair reverting back to red and her eyes back to green.

Kyle watched her with curiosity, seeming fascinated with her before John cleared his throat and lifted his right hand. He concentrated hard, willing the ring to come to him. For a few moments, the ring didn't move. Then it quivered, rose slightly in the air, and flew onto the middle finger of John's right hand.

Warmth flooded through John, not the physical kind like hot and cold, but the kind of warmth that is received from seeing an old friend again, filling a small part of him. Green glowed around him for a moment before erupting around him. Unlike the Saiyans aura, this one was non destructive. It was a beacon, a signal.

Lifting his right hand, John closed a fist. The light that had spread around the group retracted rapidly back to the ring, then burst into the sky in a beam that could be seen high into the atmosphere, into space, and traveling back to Oa as a sign that John had been accepted once more.

Nick Fury ignored the constant clattering of rotor blades as he looked southeast and saw a beam of green light shoot into the sky for a moment before vanishing out of sight. He barely noticed when the S.H.I.E.L.D. chopper settled down on the grounds of the Xavier Institute. He doubted very much that it had been of the invaders design and even if it had been, there was nothing he could do about it now. Lifting a hand as the ramp lowered to the ground, he replaced his shredding tooth pick with another between his teeth.

The X-Men were already waiting for him as he walked down and it came as no surprise that Logan was in the front of the group, his face blank. Behind him, the full assembly of the X-Men stood behind Xavier. Most of them anyway. One seemed absent, the one they called Cyclops. In the past, he had always seemed to be the leader under Xavier. According to Kitty Pryde, he had some sort of break down when his wife had died a few years ago.

He reached the bottom of the ramp and placed one hand on his hip and the other played with the end of his tooth pick. "Charles," he said, nodding slightly to Xavier then turned the attention of his eye to Logan. "I need to borrow your boy, here." Charles nodded back, resting his head silently on his fingers.

"Let's go, Logan," Fury said and turned without another word and walked back up the ramp knowing that Logan would follow. Sitting down on the seat, he leaned back to allow Logan to pass by. Gently, the chopper lifted off and headed back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

"Alright, Patch, what is it you want?" Logan asked.

"Keeping on old promise," Fury answered.

Logan looked sharply at Fury. "You mean Stark found a way to heal Capt.?"

"It seems so. We are going to be waking him up once we arrive."

Logan leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Over fifty years."

Fury rested a hand on Logan's shoulder. "If wonder boy does his job right, you'll see him again in fifty minutes."

"Ok, now that everybody is finally here, we can finally unfreeze the iceman," Tony said, clapping his hands together and making the goggles on his head jiggle slightly as Logan and Fury settled themselves into place next to Captain America's still frozen body laying atop a medic sized bed. Small holes had been drilled in the ice that had been encased around him as backup during the transport for wires that would eventually track the heart beat and other vitals had been fed through. "Come on, come on, we haven't got all day here, right? Kinda have an emergency out there, don't we?"

"Just get it started, Stark," Fury growled.

"Your recommendation is noted," Tony said with a grin. "And, in fact, already acted upon. The injection to cure the Capt. was administered nearly two hours ago. All that's left is to melt him out." Fury gestured impatiently toward Captain America and Tony bowed exaggeratedly. "Jarvis, fire up the heaters. I want him outta there as quickly and safely as possible."

There was a gentle hum and four machines lowered themselves from the ceiling. They were not heaters, of course, but highly sophisticated lasers that would simultaneously rid Captain America from the ice, but also thaw him without harming him. A trickier process than it sounded. Slowly, the ice melted and puddled on the floor and into a drain and Captain America was finally and for the first time in nearly six decades, free. With one more machine, the Captain's heart was jump started. The attached monitors all jumped to life as, with a gasp, Captain America returned to the living.

"One resurrected super hero as ordered," Tony said as with a flutter, Captain America's eyes opened.

To be continued...

Finally, John got his ring back! Not only that, now we have Kyle Rayner has joined the team as well. And Captain America is finally awake and the Avengers' last member is now in play. As the world grows more desperate, the strongest teams are formed. Let us see what they can do.

And speaking of teams, where have Yusuke and Ichigo's team been? Perhaps we will see what Shonen Jumps' characters have been up too.

Thank you all for your reviews everybody. I am really glad to see what you guys think. It means a lot to me.

Thank you, Kobez2.0 for the beta read! You are the best.

I am going to try and post every Friday now. See you in one week!


	21. Chapter 18: The Return

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 18: The Return******

Captain America's eyes snapped open, his eyes taking in the obviously military facility he was now laying in. His breathing was still harsh as muscles he had not used in nearly sixty years struggled to work properly. He reached up and ripped off the wires attached to his chest and arms and struggled into a sitting position, his eyes flicking about, marking each of them should he have to fight.

"Captain," Tony's voice said sharply through the speakers into the room from where he sat at the control console. "I am going to need you to remain still for a few minutes while we finish running some test-"

"Steve!" Logan shouted, reaching forward and trying to force him back down. Even after all this time, Operation Rebirth's results were impressive. "Calm down."

"Alright, then," Tony said and hit a button. From the floor, three thick restraining straps flew up, wrapping around the famed Captain America's legs, waist, and chest and forcing the man back into a laying position on the bed.

Rogers's eyes darted about, passing over Logan's face, then coming back again as Logan's hand squeezed his old friends. His breathing became smoother as he began to comprehend what was happening and his struggles stopped. His mouth moved, forming Logan's name but his vocal cords were not working.

"Yes, Capt," Logan said. "It's me, Logan."

Captain America's eyes looked around the room again, this time taking in Fury, the medical staff, and Tony Stark in the other room behind the clear glass. "Wha-" he tried to say.

"Capt, you were sick," Logan said.

"Perhaps now is not the best time, Logan," Fury said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Memory loss is normal in situations like this. Too many shocks in one day is dangerous for a man. Even Captain America."

Logan nodded and looked back at Rogers. "Do you remember?"

Rogers nodded after a moment. "Put me under," he managed. "Treatment."

"That's right," Logan said. "I told you that I would be here when you woke up, didn't I?"

"You did," he said with a painful smile.

"Watch your heads," Tony said, cutting into the two friends reunion and three large panels slid back over Captain America's bed and a large machine lowered into view, its wicked looking needles, angling downward toward Captain America. "Don't be frightened," Tony said, obviously noting the startled looks on all faces. "Just need to be certain that the treatment worked. Jarvis?"

"If everyone could step away for a moment, I will begin running the diagnostic," Jarvis' computer voice said.

Logan gave Rogers hand one last squeeze before stepping back. With a menacing hiss, the machine lowered with its many pointed needles getting closer. Logan looked away, his mind flashing to the distorted and hazy images of his own past. He remembered the pain without knowing why, his confusion and feelings of loss.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Fury's hand resting there and looked into his eye. Giving him a nod, Logan shrugged Fury's hand off and turned back to watch Steve Rogers. To his surprise, it was over almost before it began. On the bed, Captain America's eyes were closed once more, his naked chest rising and falling gently.

"It will take a couple of days for the results to be completely analyzed," Tony said, getting out from behind his console and entering into the room. "I gave him a sedative to keep him out for a while so his body can heal and adjust."

"How long?" Fury asked.

"Couple days," Tony answered with a sigh. "Look, Fury, I know there is a war going on and all but he will be less than useful if he goes out there hurt and unprepared."

Fury gave a deep sigh through gritted teeth. "You better make sure he is ready," Fury said, stabbing a finger into Tony's chest just above his reactor. Turning, Fury walked out leaving the medical staff to move in and make sure Captain America was physically alright.

Urameshi Yusuke jumped back, avoiding a savage swing by yet another of the monolithic aliens even as three more rushed in toward him. The lead in that group swung a massive right hook that would have leveled a building but Yusuke was easily fast enough to duck it to the aliens outside. Grabbing that arm with his own right hand, Yusuke reached over the alien's right shoulder with his left hand and grabbed the alien's throat just under its furiously snapping jaws. Placing his left foot behind the alien's right, Yusuke pulled backwards forcing the larger alien to fall hard onto its back. Still holding the alien's right arm, Yusuke gave one final hard kick to the alien's thick neck and that alien moved no more.

Even as Yusuke turned back to face the other aliens, a streak of black and silver slid between the lead aliens legs. A gash appeared along the inside of the aliens pillar like thigh as Hiei came to a halt and look back as the alien stumbled. With a flit of motion almost too fast for even Yusuke to see, Hiei struck again, this time successful in dismembering the limb from the rest of its body. Not yet satisfied, Hiei lifted his blade and sank it down through the helmet head and into the ground beneath it.

"Nice one, Hiei," Yusuke shouted with a slight grin that immediately turned into a grimace as he was forced to block a punch that sent him tumbling into a group of trees and a cliff wall beyond them. The wall itself did not do any damage to the former Spirit Detective but that punch sure hurt.

"Yusuke, are you alright?" Kurama asked, dodging the attack of two of the massive aliens and glancing over only briefly through his long silvery hair at him.

"Yeah, fine," Yusuke said, standing back up and cocking a fist back as his group of aliens came closer. "Just about tired of this game, though."

Kurama understood immediately and with a quick touch of the ground, demonic vines exploded upward from where he touched and ensnared the attackers. Hiei too gave one final slash of his sword along the broad back of an alien before leaping deftly away just as Yusuke thrust his fist forward.

"SHOTGUN!"

Energy exploded out of Yusuke's fist like bullets, showering the aliens with a rain of destruction that clouded the area with a blue haze as Kurama and Hiei landing next to and behind him as the shower ceased. They remained silent for a moment as the sound of crashing trees quieted.

"Hiei?" Yusuke murmured softly. Hiei closed his eyes and in the center of his forehead, his third Jagan eye opened, glowing eerily. "Several of them are dead," Hiei reported, his normal eyes still closed, but the rest are still coming.

"Could you be more specific?" Yusuke asked, nearly rolling his eyes.

"I count five dead, eight still living and moving toward us," Hiei answered, opening his normal eyes as well. "How's that?"

"Not bad," Yusuke said with a grin at his smaller companion. "Let's start off that way next time."

Hiei didn't smile but simply looked up at Yusuke unblinkingly for another moment before turning his attention back toward the clouds of smoke. "Get ready."

Beside him, Kurama stirred as both Hiei and Yusuke settled into a stance familiar only to their greatest attacks. "Hiei, did you happen to see which of the aliens still survive?"

Yusuke turned to look back at the silver haired fox demon incredulously. "Kurama, they all look the same-"

"The ones closest to Yusuke died first," Hiei reported, cutting off Yusuke's words. "Why?"

"I have a theory," Kurama said, his eyes drifting off toward space. "Yusuke, if you could try your shotgun once more?"

Yusuke sent Kurama a still confused look but turned obediently and cocked back his fist. "I'm not sure what you're thinking, fox-boy," Yusuke said as the aliens emerged from the cloud, all now in a dead run at the detectives. "But here goes. SHOTGUN!"

There was another volley of spirit bullets that showered over the aliens but even to Yusuke's eyes, he could see that they were ricocheting off even their bare skin this time, not even slowing their progress in the slightest.

"Alright," Yusuke said, forgoing the attack and standing straight again as the aliens burst through the newer cloud. "Kurama?"

"Their bodies are immune to it?" Hiei asked, shooting Kurama a sharp look.

"I suspected as much," Kurama said. "I saw the same things with my own attack. Once an attack is used on one of them, the rest become immune to them, it seems."

"Well that's damn terrific," Yusuke snarled. "So how are we supposed to kill them?"

"Physical attacks seem unaffected by this immunity," Kurama said. "Be sparing with your attacks."

"Right," Yusuke said through gritted teeth. "That's just like me, isn't it?" Hiei snorted, just loud enough to be heard but gave Yusuke a questioning look when Yusuke shot him a glare. The trio split up, moving to separate the aliens from one another, three splitting off to face Kurama and Hiei, two following after Yusuke.

Feeling a bit insulted, Yusuke rushed forward. Leaping into the air, Yusuke kicked the first of the aliens with an energy infused kick that sank like a dagger into the alien's chest. It roared in pain and snapped its head forward, sinking razor sharp teeth into Yusuke's leg. Now it was Yusuke's turn to yell in pain. Lifting his other foot up, he tried to kick the head of the alien. Ignoring the insignificant attack, the alien slammed Yusuke down onto his back hard enough to knock the wind from him. Instinctively, Yusuke wrenched his leg free and rolled away as one huge foot stomped the ground where his head had just been.

On the other side of the battlefield, Hiei danced lightly away from a left handed swing then spun stepped toward the alien as it swung a right handed punch. With his left hand, he blocked the arm up and with his right hand still holding his sword, punched the alien in the face. The attack was ineffective and another alien's fist punched in from Hiei's right. Moving quickly, Hiei blocked the attack the flat of his sword and traced it down the alien's arm to slash at its exposed neck. Blood spurted everywhere but that did not phase the fire demon.

His Jagan eye flashed as he saw the third most alien stepping in and the alien erupted in flames. The attack was not powerful enough to kill the alien but it would distract it long enough for Hiei do away with the others. Reaching back, Hiei cut the left arm of the first alien off, then spinning around and cutting the legs out from under it. It crashed down hard and Hiei swung his katana down to end it. The alien swung a massive fist at the last moment and the tip of the blade snapped and spun off into the shrubs. Cursing, Hiei focused his demonic energy through what remained of the sword. Similar to Kuwabara's Spirit Sword, purple and black energy engulfed the katana and Hiei sank that down through the aliens open mouth instead, knowing that this uncivilized attack was now useless if Kurama's theory was true.

Sparing a quick glance to Kurama before returning to his own battle, Hiei could see Kurama using his powers with plants to entangle and trap the aliens in plants of Makai, the Demon World. Kurama stood still and centered as several towering plants spat corrosive acid at the aliens. One already lay still, its body slowly melting away on the ground.

Kurama grimaced, knowing that these plants acidic attacks would no longer work directly against these things, but that did not mean that they would be useless. Communicating through the energy that linked Kurama to the plants, he directed the attacks specifically toward the armor. Sizzling and snapping, the armor melted away, making physical attacks more effective. With one whip like vine, the plants shifted to a more convential attack, bruising and cutting the aliens, but nothing that could kill them.

Running one hand casually through his long silver hair, Kurama kneeled down to the ground and planted one more seed, pulled from inside his hair. Laying that hand flat on the ground over the seed, he poured his demonic energies into it. The ground shuddered and humped upward as the seed grew unnaturally fast. The Mechlox plant was only found in the darkest levels of the Makai was particularly vicious.

The ground exploded upward and a massive vine reached up, wrapping itself tightly around the alien and dragged it underground and smothered it. A second later, another vine burst up and wrapped itself around the other alien. With a roar, the alien ripped itself free and bounded toward Kurama, plowing through Kurama's plant defenses. The ground humped up once more in front the alien but it was weak. With the Mechlox plant growing only in the dark, sunlight was lethal to it. With a bull rush, the alien broke through it as it died and rammed into Kurama.

Kurama slide to a halt on his hands and knees. A tree burst up through the ground from where Kurama had placed another seed, using it like a wall between him and the alien but the alien crashed through that as well. Kurama gasped as the alien closed a fist around his throat and pinning him onto his back. His vision began to waver slightly as his brain was deprived of oxygen and it took him a few moments to puzzle out the words that where being shouted.

"DEMON GUN!"

A blast of red energy hurtled toward Kurama and the alien. With precise aim, the blast tore the beast away from Kurama, lifting it high into the sky and out of sight. Slowly, the sky returned to a darker blue as the red faded.

"Very wise," Kurama said, his voice more raspy than usual in his Yoko form. "Using your Demon Gun instead of your Spirit one."

"Kinda thought it would be a waste to use on one alien." Yusuke looked around and found Hiei sitting casually on the ground examining his broken sword, his three aliens laying on the ground in several pieces. "Wow, Hiei. Feel better?"

Hiei glanced up at Yusuke and tossed the broken katana aside. "Do me a favor, Detective," he said, walking past him without a look, "the next time you feel the urge to make a joke, don't."

"Where to now, Yusuke?" Kurama asked, returning to his human form, the silvery fox ears atop his head sinking back down under his hair as the hair itself shrunk and turned red.

"I don't care how many times I see you do that," Yusuke said, watching with a slightly disgusted look on his face. "That just looks so wrong."

"Caliwone has a similar transformation," Kurama said with a smile.

"It's not the changing hair color part that freaks me out," Yusuke said. "It's the ears part."

"I will try and refrain in the future," Kurama said with small smile. "Our next stop?"

"I think it's time to meet up with the Justice League again. They need to know this stuff."

Ichigo lifted his Zanpakutou and placed it back on his back. Behind him in the center of the small town, fifteen of the aliens lay dead and bleeding on the ground alongside many broken bodies of the humans he had been too late to save. He turned away, not able to stand the sight of the horrible scene. On the outskirts of the town, the rest of his team waited.

"Clever," Ishida said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "They didn't even see you coming."

"Yeah!" Orihime said, her hands thrown up in celebration. "You're in Shinigami mode. You're invisible to them."

Ichigo nodded silently, determined to keep Orihime away from the town and the sight of death. Ever since the skirmish with Grimmjow, one of Aizen's Espada so long ago it seemed, Ichigo had been accustomed to seeing death and killing, but this kind of ugly slaughter turned his stomach.

"We need to talk with the Justice League," Chad said.

Ishida grimaced and shook his head, remembering the last time he had worked with the Justice League and most vividly, with that weirdo Batman. He had seen them on the news and had heard they were dying in these battles across the world but it was still hard for him to shake the impression of deep arrogance with the Earth's heroes. To him, heroes did not parade around in costumes, grabbing as much television time as they could. He and Ichigo and the others all stayed anonymous with no one knowing what dangers befell them.

"I suppose they need an edge," Ishida said. "And I guess that is you since the rest of the Soul Society refuse to involve themselves like always."

"Unless they found some other edge," Chad said.

"Or a weakness," Orihime added brightly.

The others quietly looked at Orihime for a minute. "Right," Ishida said. "So how do we get in touch with them?" There was a roar from far above them, a high powered jet of some sort passing by. One that sounded very familiar to Ichigo.

"Orihime," Ichigo said sharply. "Get that jets attention quickly."

"Okay," she said. Touching the hair clips that framed the sides of her face, three streaks of light lanced outward and into the sky. Just as the sleek looking jet passed by in a blur, an orange triangular shield winked into view. The jet swerved slightly to avoid the strange object then circled around and landed in the nearest open area. With a hiss of pressurized gas, the ramp lowered and the X-Men filed out.

"Hello," Ichigo said, stepping forward and then clapped his hand to his head as he remembered that he was invisible to these guys.

"Hello," Ishida said stepping next to Ichigo and filling in as the representative.

"Hello," the man in the wheel chair said, a slight from creasing his forehead. "Was that signal from you?"

"Yes," Ishida said, skipping over the details as to who exactly it had been. "We needed to talk with you. We are friends of Ichigo's."

Comprehension seemed to cross over Xavier's face. "Ah, I see. What can we do for you?"

"Well," Ishida said, glancing over at the invisible Ichigo. "What did we need to talk with them for, exactly?" The X-Men all exchanged looks and several hands were raised to their temples, moving them in the universal crazy gesture.

"We need to find out what the plan is," Ichigo said. "We can't fight this all on our own and maybe they have a plan that could utilize my advantage."

"Right," Ishida said, raising a finger and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. Turning back to face the X-Men, "The aliens can't see Ichigo at all. We were hoping to get in touch with the Justice League and find out how to best use this advantage."

"I see," Xavier said, looking off toward the town and the small fires that were burning themselves out. "Come with us. Any advantage we can find is one more step toward victory."

High above the Earth in the deepest portions of the orbiting asteroid, five aliens escorted an equal number of thick rectangular boxes which hovered along the wide corridors next to the large aliens. The procession came to a short halt as they waited for the heavy door that lead to the medical ward to finish opening and they walked in with thunderous purpose.

On the far side of the white sculpted room, behind a row of hard table like beds with no furnishings of any kind, a small alien, less than half the size of any of those sent planet side. It turned its elongated round face toward the warriors as they entered. Its jaw worked slightly as its bulging eyes slid to the boxes that still hovered in the background. It lifted a hand and beckoned for the soldiers to follow and led them through another sizable doorway and into what could almost be described a laboratory, the walls and ceiling remained the natural color of the asteroid. It was darker and far more sinister than the room previous.

Many more tables lay in a grid pattern in the large room, several of them with soldiers laying on them, their drooping jaws, blank expressions, and cut up bodies showing clearly they were dead. In the very back of this darkened room, a cage of sorts was built directly into the asteroid and behind the cage, strapped to the wall, was a figure of massive strength. White hair hung from the sides of its otherwise bald head and large spikes jutted from its shoulders and arms, looking similar but far less terrifying than the soldier on which they had been altered to replicate.

The soldiers led the boxes over to tables indicated by the good doctor and pulled their contents out and laid them out as directed. One soldier snorted derisively as it dropped the body of a winged human, its wings long and white like those of an angel, the human's hair blonde and serine. Next to him, another human was laid, this one dressed in bright colors and long cape. Several others were laid on tables, all wearing brightly colored clothing.

With a wave of the doctor's hand, the soldiers were dismissed. All except two which promptly lay themselves down on a set of opposite tables next to their deceased comrades. With a whistle, five more doctors entered the room. Without a word, each walked over to a specimen and began taking samples from their newest projects. The first doctor stepped over to Doomsday, looking at it speculatively before taking another sample.

To be continued…

Ahaha! So, that's the link to Doomsday and why these aliens are as tough as they are. With their advanced genetics program, the aliens are technically cousins to Doomsday now. And with Angel and other heroes amongst the dead and in the hands of these genetic geniuses, what can we expect for this occupation?

Thanks to everyone that has been reviewing! You guys are all rock stars and now that all the stages have been set, get ready for more spectacular action and astounding transformations.

Fan of many works ():

The review section really isn't the place for story ideas. If you want, I can help set up an account for you so we can PM about it. However, it sounds interesting and worth taking a look into and definitely one you should do. If you need help, I would be willing help advise and beta for you on it.

The Dark Prince


	22. Chapter 19: For Better or For Worse

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 19: For Better or For Worse******

Steve Rogers sat on his cot with his head bowed, looking to the floor with unseeing eyes, ignoring the remnants of the injuries he had sustained before being frozen. He even ignored the tears that refused to fall as his mind drifted to the past. Over the last few days his body had seemed to heal quite well, a testament to the power of the Rebirth project. The bruising that had resulted from the thawing process was nearly gone and his vocal cords where back to normal, if a little bit scratchy. As soon as he had realized this, he had called for his oldest friend. Logan had been the one to get him up to speed and to deliver to him the news of how long exactly he had been out. He shivered at the thought and having little to do with the cold wrapping around his naked upper body. Seventy years. Seventy years he'd been gone from the world and people he had sworn, both literally and figuratively, to protect.

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his regulation length blonde hair and tried to shake off the feelings of guilt and remorse that welled up within him. Everybody he had known, with the exception of Logan, was either dead, dying or forgotten through time. Most probably felt as if he had abandoned them. Like he had run away from his responsibility and his duty to the American people.

With an effort he shook the negative feelings from him. The world needed him now and he was going to do his part, even if it cost him his life. His hands balled into fists, his soul hardening against the despair and guilt.

Across the room a door slid open to reveal Logan, a rare smile on his face. Even after all this time, Logan hadn't changed much. A bit grimmer than he use to be, perhaps, and more experienced but the core was unchanged. And of course, the razor sharp adamantium claws and skeleton.

"How are you feeling?" Logan said, taking a step into the room.

"Well, I still feel like a house was dropped on me," Steve said. "But other than that, I'm great."

"Glad to hear it, come on." Logan said, turning to leave the room. "There's something I want to show you."

Steve raised an eyebrow but stood and followed Logan with only the mildest stiffness. They walked down a corridor that couldn't be straighter if it had been drawn with a ruler, and into what looked to be an armory, although a very small one. The center pieces of this room was at the end of the short hall, highlighted by a single spotlight. A uniform hung on a manikin in the center piece case. A mask with white wing tips near the temples and large letter 'A' on the forehead wrapped itself around the manikin head, revealing the open eye holes and exposed nose and mouth was attached to the upper half dark blue over duralumin scale armor with a single large white star centered on the chest that matched the sleeves over his arms.

Over the stomach region and around the sides and back was a vertical pattern of striped red and white. Below that, a belt and blue pants that matched the top before being lost within dark red boots in equal splendor as the matching gloves that protected his hands and forearms.

Next to the main body, a circular shield sat propped, its red, white, and red again stripped pattern circling a blue center and white star that was the hallmark of Captain America glinted in the directed light. There was an equal glint in Rogers own eyes, a sadness tempered by resolve.

"Redesigned with newer technology," Nick Fury's voice drifted in as he walked in behind the two. "The material is fire retardant and the duralium armor has been reengineered to be lighter without sacrificing protection."

"Very impressive," Rogers said, turning back to his suit. "I am sure it will be effective against gunshots and explosive rounds, but how will it stand up to our current threat?"

"You know what they say," Fury said. "Some protection is better than no protection. An interesting fact about your shield, actually. It is made of vibranium and steel, an accidental creation by Dr. Myron Maclain, you may remember. No one has ever been able to duplicate it, although it was reversed engineered at one point and created what we now call Adamantium." He glanced over at Logan in time to see him stiffen slightly.

"Stark also added a few enhancements to your shield as well. He was able to integrate both electronic and magnetic components into the shield as well as into your uniform for you to more accurately control your shield when thrown."

"I see," Rogers said, opening the case and holding up the shield and examining it. The level of technology that now existed was still astounding to him. Even still, he could comprehend the concepts of what had been done and he was not sure if he would like it.

"Once you're dressed," Fury said, his eye turning from Rogers after a moment to Logan, "Stark has called for a meeting at his house. Meet in the landing bay in twenty minutes." He turned on his heels and walked out of the room.

"Is he always so cheery?" Steve asked Logan as he reached up and took the suit off of the manikin.

"Patch?" Logan clarified, turning away while his friend got dressed. "Oh yeah. A bundle of sunshine and lollipops."

"I see that you haven't lost your sense of humor."

"You need to have one first," Logan said. "I never had one to lose."

Rogers chuckled. "Isn't that the truth?" His mood became more serious. "What Intel can you give me on these things? Real experience, I mean."

"They're tough," Logan said. "Thick as tanks and hundred times stronger. Not even Superman or the Hulk where really effective on these things."

"Who?"

"Right, sorry," Logan said. "Earth's current super powers. One's and alien, the other's a genetic experiment. "

"Like me." Logan turned to look back at his friend just in time to see Steve pull the mask over his face with his right hand, his shield already strapped to his left arm. "What kind of special abilities? Radiation? Projectiles?"

"None that we know of," Logan said. "Terrain."

"So we have the advantage in the air."

"Not much of an advantage," Logan said. "The way the jump, they might as well fly."

The two headed out of the armory and toward the landing bay. "Sounds like we have quite a fight on our hands."

Logan ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah," was all Logan said.

There was a rumble around them as they entered the landing bay. The two looked around, trying to find the vehicle responsible as it took off. It was no vehicle. Fire had erupted at the entrance to the bay among the wreckage of several S.H.I.E.L.D. choppers and hover crafts. Before either of the heroes could react and run to help any injured, the hulking shadows within the fire announced the arrival of the invaders.

With a snarl, Logan's claws extended and he rushed forward. Steve Rogers was close behind, the call to action bringing the famed Captain America to the surface of his psyche as he sprinted toward the fire that concealed the aliens, feeling a slight bit of awe as a wall of flames blew to one side and revealing the horror to him for the first time.

Logan dove into the fire without hesitation, a glint flashing as he slashed. Steve lost sight of him as the curtain of flames blocked him from sight. He dove through after him just in time to see a second alien come up behind his friend. There was no hesitation as instinct and reflex threw him to the defense of his friend and comrade, in one fluid motion he slid between Logan and the monster and used his shield to slam the fist hard to the outside and to the ground.

"Watch your back, Logan," Steve shouted. The alien swung again and Captain America braced himself behind his shield. The shield stopped punch but the sheer power threw him like a ragdoll clear across the ravaged hanger.

"CAP!" Logan shouted.

"I'm fine," Steve shouted back, wincing only slightly as he picked himself back up. Logan had been right. They were like tanks. "Logan, do you remember our second trip to Germany?"

Logan yelled as he was thrown from the fire and into the middle of the bay. "What of it?" Logan answered, rubbing his head as he got to his feet.

"We need to outsmart these things. Just like we did when the Krauts thought they had the drop on us."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?"

"Not sure yet," Steve said.

"Well when you have an idea, please go ahead and share it."

Steve hurled his shield toward the aliens. The shield arced around and collided with the first of the tanks then ricocheted back toward Steve. He instinctively reached for the shield as it returned but it suddenly flew way off course and clattered on the ground not far from where his hand was pointing, having followed the suits command rather than the laws of physics. Cap grimaced and went to retrieve the fallen weapon.

"Where's Fury?" Steve asked, flicking his gaze around the landing bay and seeing no sign of him.

"Probably gone," Logan shouted over the roar of another explosion.

"I hope so. We don't have time to go look for him right now. Back to back." Steve ran over to Logan just as the two aliens emerged from the licking flames and circling around them. "We are going to have to do this close range."

"That'll put us at a disadvantage," Logan said.

"We can take them."

"You sure about that?" Logan asked, eyeing the alien facing him.

"Of course," Steve said with a crooked smile. "There is nothing stronger than our resolve."

Logan grinned. "I missed having you around, Capt."

"Likewise, old friend."

The Justice League communicator beeped once in John's ear. A few seconds later, Shayera reached a hand up to her own ear as the call came through to her as well. Next to her, Helena sat cross legged on the ground, the fingers of her right hand tapping impatiently on her knee. Next to her, Kyle Rayner was leaning casually on a tree, trying to act cool and trying with limited success to hold a conversation with her.

"Yeah?" John responded.

"Tony Stark is calling a meeting," J'onn Jon'zz said in his always dry voice. "Superman wants at least the original members to go while the others continue to fight."

"Alright," John said, glancing over and getting a nod from Shayera. "We'll be there. Hopefully he doesn't talk forever."

"Agreed," J'onn said. "We will see you there shortly." There was a click as the comm. disconnected.

"Alright everybody," John said. "We are getting back to business shortly. We just need to make a quick stop at Stark's place first."

"I'm sick of waiting," Helena growled. "And I'm not going to Tony Stark's place. This is stupid. We are just wasting our time." She stood up abruptly, startling Kyle enough to make him almost fall over. "Every second we spend sitting around is another person dying because of our inaction."

"We aren't going over there to sit around or drink wine. These things are almost impossible to kill after you've used your best attacks. We need to regroup and come up with a strategy that is effective against them."

"Fine," Helena said darkly. "When you guys find one that works, let me know." With a burst of red, Helena leaped into the sky and vanished out of sight.

They group was silent for a moment. "Maybe I shouldn't have been hitting on her," Kyle said sheepishly. "Maybe I pissed her off."

"I don't think that was the whole reason," Shayera said. "She reminds me a lot of Caliwone, always needing action."

"Yeah, great," John said. "At least she is here. Can't Caliwone hurry up and get back?"

"I'm sure he's doing everything he can," Shayera said. "We need to get going."

"Right." Taking one last drink from his ring spawned cup of water, the three took the skies and headed west.

Tony looked around at the gathered heroes in front of him, all looking a little tired, a little battle worn, but determined none the less. He himself was fully suited up in his Iron Man armor with the head piece flipped up. He smiled slightly as he noted the slight segregation that always seemed to happen when different groups had to sit or stand together. Xavier and his students were all huddled together, giving Bruce Banner a little more room than anyone else. Beside them, a small representative of Justice League members where present, including that of most of the original seven minus Wonder Woman and Batman. That was a shame but it couldn't be helped.

On the other side of the room, a group of eight kids stood, looking slightly out of place in their more causal cloths next to the elaborate costumes and capes around them. They looked Japanese for the most part except for the short guy with the spiky black hair and his long red haired companion. None of them seemed as though they should be here but Xavier and Superman had vouched for them. You couldn't get a much higher recommendation.

"Jarvis," Tony muttered into the microphone of his suit.

"Yes, sir," the computer responded in the helmet.

"Keep an eye on those kids. I don't want them walking out with anything more than they walked in with, understand?"

"Understood, sir," Jarvis answered with just the faintest hint of amusement.

"Good. Any word of Fury or Steve Rogers?"

"There has been no new reports regarding the attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, nor of the fate of Captain America."

"Perfect," Tony said with a sigh. "Just perfect."

He waited another couple of minutes for the group of heroes to settle down then decided to get this little meeting started. "Hey everybody," Tony said. "I know everybody wants to get back out there and help out so I will keep this as short as I can. I just thought it would be a good idea for everyone to get together and compare notes."

"Couldn't we have done this over a phone call?" one of the X-Men asked.

"Bobby Drake," Jarvis informed Tony through the comm. in his suit. "X-Men name Iceman."

"Could we, Bobby?" Tony asked. "Do you think that holding a conference call in the middle of battle would be a smart thing to do? Too many distractions and distractions will get you killed in pretty short order. Besides," Tony sent a look at Xavier, "how well are your communication systems right now?"

"What are you talking about?" Bobby asked, sounding annoyed. "They're working just fine." For emphasis, he pulled out his communicator and flicked on. And just as quickly shut it off as a piercing screech rang from it.

"That is called jamming," Tony said into the pained silence that followed. "After the invasion force was launched, the aliens cut off all standard communication. That's why you don't see any real military involvement right now and a couple days ago, I found that the communications that you X-Men are using has been jammed when I tried to contact all of you."

"How could that have happened?" Kurt asked, raising a blue three fingered hand.

"A couple of ways," Kitty Pryde answered before Tony had a chance to respond. "They could have stumbled across it by accident or managed to get a hold of one or more of our communicators."

"I am going to guess the latter," Tony said. "Real quick, what's the head count?"

"My X-Men are all accounted for except for three," Charles said, lacing his fingers in front of him. "Scott, Amara, and Tabitha are all missing. Logan is off with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"We're right here," came a voice from behind the group. All turned to see Scott and the others just entering into the room escorted by several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. There was a surge from the X-Men as they all rushed over with welcome backs and several short squeals.

"Ya, ya," Tony said impatiently, but glad for the interruption. He didn't really want to tell them about what happened to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base just yet. "We'll have time for all that later. Back to the head count."

"The only others I know of would be Angel," Charles said. "He is not officially part of the X-Men but he does help us out when we need him. Other than that, I could not say as there are many mutants who have left for Magneto's Genoshia."

"No one in our group is missing," one of the Japanese kids said in accented English. He seemed to be the leader of at least a few of them, although his slicked back black hair and general punkish aura surrounding him made Tony a little skeptical. "Except for Caliwone who is in Other World right now."

"Than he is not missing," Tony said with only a hint of irritation. "Who else?"

"We have lost many," Superman said. "Just under half of the Justice League is gone."

"I am sorry to hear that," Tony said, for once meaning it. The Justice League, despite their perceived arrogance, did a great job holding the world together from super-villains.

"Yeah," Superman said, turning his eyes downward.

"Well, anyway," Tony said. "Anything useful to share?"

"These things are all just like Doomsday," John Stewart said. "Once an attack is used on them, whether it kills them or not, it will not work on any of them again."

There was a slight rumble of worry from the X-Men at that.

"The only thing that works consistently against them is physical attacks," the slick haired kid said. "If you can find a weapon strong enough to not break, they seem effective enough."

Tony eyes him a moment. "What's your name, kid?"

"Urameshi Yusuke," he answered an air of smugness. "Spirit Detect-"

"Great," Tony said, cutting the kid off sharply. He could do without titles for now. "So keep that in mind. Make sure if you use a special ability of some kind, be sure it works the first time." A thought struck him that made him a little uneasy. "How does that work against artificial attacks?"

"I'm not sure,' Superman said, frowning.

"I know that our rings work the same as a special ability against them," John said, looking over his shoulder at Kyle. "But I'm not sure about how they were made. The technology from your suit might behave differently against them."

Tony filed that bit of information away for later study. There was a beep from inside his suit. "Alright," Tony said. "From everything we have seen, these aliens are restricted to the Earth. That means that we have an advantage in the air so make sure to push that advantage. However, that's not the only advantage we have. We have a secret weapon." On cue, the door in the back opened and Logan, Nick Fury, and Captain America walked in.

The room quieted instantly. Many of these people had grown up hearing stories about the famed Captain America, and many of them started their heroic lives following his example. The fact that he was even still alive had been a very closely guarded secret. Without hesitation, Steve Rogers walked around the group, his shield prominent displayed for all to see, and came to a stop next to Tony. Lifting a hand, Captain America shook Tony's hand.

"Thank you," Steve said with a winning smile.

"No problem," Tony said off handedly, but smiled back. "Glad to see you're alright. What can you tell us?"

"Not much more than you probably know already, I'm afraid," Steve said. "With those long necks, I noticed that they have a very large blind spot behind them. As long as we can get through the armor, we should be able to take them down."

"It's not that easy," Superman said. "Their skin is as tough. Maybe as tough as either Doomsday's or my own."

"I doubt it," Hiei said. "My sword was able to pierce straight through their armor and through its skull. If what you say is to be believed, then that blind spot is a major weakness."

Superman frowned. "Caliwone, Helena, and I tried our best to defeat _one_ of those things. We could barely make it bleed."

"Is it possible that there are different kinds of aliens within their invasion?" Steve asked.

"That is possible," Kurama said thoughtfully. "But highly unlikely. From what I have seen and what I am hearing today, it sounds like all of the aliens are very similar. It would make no sense to have such minor changes within its military."

"I agree," John said. "There must be a trick to it."

"Maybe blunt force is not the right way," Kitty mused. "Maybe a piercing attack is much more effective against them."

"Maybe," Steve said. "In any case, we have a potential plan. I recommend we go out in groups of no less than five or six and make sure that someone amongst you has the ability or weapon that can generate a piercing blow. Remember the blind spot behind them. Fight smart, and keep each other safe. Let's move out."

To be continued...

Cap is finally back in the game! Now everybody is up to date and ready for action with Tony Stark and Captains America seeming to take charge. Hopefully things will turn out well for everybody but we will have to see what happens with heroes that the aliens have.

Thanks Kobez2.0 for the beta

Thanks to all for reading and reviewing.

Hope to see some more reviews from everybody. There are only a few chapters left and all will be revealed.

See you guys soon.

The Dark Prince


	23. Chapter 19 Special: Demon World

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 19 Special: Demon World******

Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara watched as the sleek black jet that had dropped them off screamed through the sky and out of sight for a few moments before turning their sights back on the immediate problem. That was, of course, how to kill a large army of devastating aliens when you could only use an attack against their race once.

"You know, Hiei, it just came back to me," Yusuke said. His words came out sounding weird and foreign. He growled to himself and pulled the patch, one of his detective items number one hundred and something that translated his words from Japanese to a set language and doing the reverse when hearing that same language spoken, from behind his right ear off. With that accomplished, he tried again.

"You remember back at the Dark Tournament, you had to fight some guy that was kind of like these aliens."

"Yes, but then it was only one opponent, not several thousand," Hiei responded darkly. "Right now the only attack I have left that could take out more than one at a time is my Dragon of the Darkness Flame."

"I too am beginning to run out of options," Kurama said. "I only wish-" Kurama stopped speaking.

"Only wish what?" Yusuke asked, turning to look over at his friend. He wasn't moving; not blinking, not breathing. Not even his hair moved in a wind. In fact, there was suddenly no wind at all.

"I only wish I didn't have to rely on you for everything," another voice said from the vicinity of his ankles. Yusuke looked down and for his former boss looking sourly up at him, the pacifier in his mouth gave him a much more active look of an infant, even if he was several thousand years old.

"What do you want?" Yusuke asked, rather surprised.

"Nice to see you again as well," Koenma said, folding his tiny arms. "You are needed on an assignment."

"Gee, I'd love to help you with that but you may have missed the fact the world is in a bit of a pinch. Let me fill you in-"

"Shut it, you moron," Koenma shouted. "Of course I know what state the world is in. What kind of ruler would I be if I didn't?"

"A terrible one," Yusuke said. "Like you are."

Koenma eyed him for a moment. "You know, I do have the power to take your life back, since I gave it back to you."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said, waving a hand dismissively. "What do you want, diapers?"

"As you know," Koenma started, switching into his professitorial tone that he knew Yusuke hated, "Spirit World has dropped the barrier that separated the Demon World from the Human World-"

"Seeing how it was me who made that happen, yeah I would say I know that," Yusuke said, walking around his friends, frozen in this little time eclipse Koenma had created for this little conversation.

"And that in order to allow that barrier to come down, there was an agreement with the king of demons to stop eating humans," Koenma continued as if not hearing Yusuke's interruption.

"Get to the point, short stuff," Yusuke growled, bending down and looking into Hiei's demon face.

"I sometimes wish that Kurama was the Spirit Detective instead of you," Koenma said crossly. "He would have already figured out where I was going with this and start finding a strategy."

"Well, I not the fox boy," Yusuke said, waving a hand infringe of the short demon now. "You'll have to sell it out for me. And I'm not Spirit Detective. You could probably hire him."

"Maybe I will," Koenma said tartly. "Anyway, with all the commotion here in Human World, the Demons are sneaking in and killing again. I need you to go back to Demon World and bring this to a halt."

Yusuke, in the process of turning Hiei's hair into a Mohawk, started at that, ripping out nearly two handfuls of hair. "You want me to do what?"

"You heard correctly," Koenma said, sighing to himself. "You are you only one that can do this. Besides, this order come from my father."

"I don't give a damn who said to do it," Yusuke said. "We have bigger problems than a couple of demons finding a snack with one or two humans. Who knows, they might probably end up dying either way."

"It is a very big deal," Koenma said darkly, "because it is not one or two humans. They are being hunted in groves."

Yusuke looked up, suddenly much more serious. "How much is a grove?"

Koenma didn't answer, just looked at him. "I need you to care of this, Yusuke."

Koenma disappeared and the time eclipse ended.

"-that we could-" Kurama was continuing to say.

"OUCH!" Hiei grabbed his head with both hands, glaring at Yusuke. Hiei had an incredible level of tolerance to pain, enough to even allow his unnatural Jagan eye to be implanted into his forehead, but even he could be caught by surprise.

"What the Hell was that for, Detective?" Hiei snarled even as Kuwabara roared with laughter.

Yusuke looked confused for a second before glancing down at his hands and seeing the double fists of Hiei's hair still clutched there. "Sorry, Hiei," Yusuke said distractedly.

"Damn right you're going to be sorry," Hiei snarled.

"Hold on, Hiei," Kurama said. His sharp eyes had already picked up on the fact that Yusuke had abruptly moved from one spot to another without warning, indicating a visit by Koenma. "What is it?"

Yusuke took a deep breath and told them. Kuwabara in particular would not be happy since they would have to leave him behind.

The landscape was very different than that of Earth, darker, redder, and far less inviting. Trees grew twisted and angry, their long finger like branches reaching upward and trying to drag the clouds spiraling down.

Yusuke and the others took a deep breath of the other worldly air, an acquired taste that Yusuke had become quite familiar with since his transformation as the Mazoku, the Demon Lord. There was always the slight tinged taste of blood in the air.

"I had forgotten the sweet taste," Hiei said, taking a long deep breath. "The stink of the Human World is gone."

Kurama tilted his head, his enhanced fox nose sniffing delicately. "Perhaps that is the Achilles Heel of the Demon race."

Yusuke turned an eye to his friend. "What are you blabbering about?"

"This air," Kurama said. "It is intoxicating."

"Isn't it great?" Hiei said with a grim smile.

"Perhaps this is part of the reason why demons crave human blood so much," Kurama said looking back over and Yusuke. "It is as if our world demands it. All our lives we grow up with the subtle taste of it."

Hiei snorted. "I wouldn't trade it in for anything."

Yusuke looked over at his two demon companions, then up into the dark sky. "I guess with all the human blood being spilled in Human World right now, it must be a strong temptation. And as we know, most demons are a bit lacking in the will power department. It must be just too much for them to handle."

"Yes," Hiei sneered. "Those poor Demons."

"In any case, they must be stopped at any cost," Kurama said. "Human kind cannot afford to become food for unreasonable demons."

Together, the team trooper off into the place. They had all once competed for the glory of becoming the leader of all demons. This is where Yusuke had been during the time Caliwone had arrived. There were so many memories here, his demon father, Raizen, Yomi, Mukuro, the three powers that ruled Demon World before Yusuke proposes the tournament to decide the president. Everything had turned out well, even if Yusuke had lost. The Demon that had won had decreed that no demon shall hunt humans in honor of Raizen's death. And now, someone was breaking that rule.

"Alright, fox boy," Yusuke said planting his hands on his hips and looking around. "Where do we start?"

Kurama lifted one delicate looking eyebrow slightly in Yusuke's direction, either in response to the fox comment or at the assumption that Kurama had any better ideas as to what to do than Yusuke did. "I recommend starting the search with our demon president. Perhaps Enki is already aware of the problem and has a start into the investigation."

"It's as good a start as any, I guess," Yusuke said, picking at his teeth.

Near the now abandoned battle stage, a large structure rather reminiscent to that of Koenma's palace, stood only on a much smaller scale. It looked very much out of place in the otherwise crude plane of the Demon World. The elements of Spirit World were clearly present, a clear gift of Koenma as a gesture of good faith to an end of a war.

Standing in the center of the large demon wood doorway was a large red skinned demon with two large horns coming out from his forehead far enough to match his large stomach. Yusuke knew that the apparent fitness was not the kind that came from beer intake and was quite deceptive to his strength. He did, after all, win the Demon World tournament.

"Yusuke," Enki shouted as he saw the trio walk up the slight incline toward him. "Well, if it isn't Raizen Jr. and his friends back to the homeland."

"Yo," Yusuke said, surrendering once and for all to force everyone to drop the nickname of his ancestral father. "We got a bit of a problem."

Enki lowered his hand as a slight frown creased his face. "What kind of problem, my young friend?"

"Demons eating humans," Yusuke said shortly. "Come on, you can't be the king of the demons and not know about it."

"No, you are right," Enki said. "I had hoped that we could stop it before Spirit World got involved."

"What do you know?" Kurama asked lightly.

"Many of those demons are of the lower class," Enki said. "But we suspect that there are at least a few of the higher S class demons involved as well."

"That should really be no big problem," Yusuke said.

"Perhaps once you find them," Enki said. "Not even our best could track them down. At least, not before they get distracted by food or something."

"Let me guess," Hiei said coldly. "They suddenly find the need for human flesh."

Enki blinked. "Yes. How did you-"

"We've got experience with this kind of thing." Yusuke rested a hand on his chin. "So, we just need to find the leader of this little party and kill it. Sounds simple enough."

Kurama rested a hand on Yusuke's shoulder. "How often have things ever become that simple?"

"Alright, fox," Yusuke said. "Any luck?"

"The scent of blood is very strong," Kurama said. "However, there does not seem to be anywhere left to go."

Yusuke growled deep down in be throat, an animalistic sound that his ancestral father shared with him from his days far back in the Feudal era, back when the Demon World and the Human World were still one in the same. In front of them was the titanic barrier known as the Demon's Shield that stretched miles into the distance and miles into the sky in what had once been known as the Valley of Ryukotsusei.

"What about you, Hiei?" Yusuke asked.

Hiei's eyes were closed and his Jagan once again splitting his forehead. "The Demon's Shield has catacombs cutting through it. I can see several demons lurking deep within them."

"It's a start," Yusuke said and leveled a finger at wall. A section of it blew open as Yusuke Spirit Gun crashed into it, exploding with the force of a small warhead. "Lead the way, Hiei."

The group walked in and headed down into the maze of tunnels that had been carved onto the landmark following Hiei's Jagan eye. Shortly, and only after a few cases in which Yusuke got frustrated and blew open walls to get into other tunnels, they managed to find a door made of thick steel. It looked quit out of place not only in this tunnel, but in all of Demon World.

"Knock knock," Yusuke said dryly as his finger was pointed and the door blew open. Inside was a darkened room full of human bones and a truly horrible sound.

All three heroes came to a simultaneous halt, their jaws dropping open as they took in what was in front of them. Yomi, one of the three powers of Demon World along with Raizen was sitting on a thick pile of bones, his blind eyes closed and his long black hair artfully swept behind him and out of the way of his two horns that hooked downward. On his lap was his cloned son, Shura, pants down, and getting the spanking of his life.

"Yomi," Kurama said in disbelief.

Yomi's hand paused in the air as it was drawn back. "Kurama," Yomi said, smiling as his head looked in the direction of Kurama's voice. "It's very nice to hear from you again, old friend."

"You as well," Kurama said. "May I ask what it is you are doing?"

"I am punishing Shura for disobeying the new laws of the land," Yomi said, adding an exclamation to the words with a final spank and a yelp from Shura.

"Ah, I see," Kurama said. "So, Shura was the one killing humans?"

"Yes. He has always been a naughty boy." Lifting the pint sized Shura to his feet with one hand, Yomi set him down and walked over to his friend. "You have my word that Shura will no longer be hunting humans, per the law that was set by Enki, Urameshi."

"Great," Yusuke said through gritted teeth. "Do me a favor and give that kid of yours one good slap from me for all the trouble we had to go through."

"It will be done," Yomi said.

"So, how did it go in Demon World?" Koenma asked.

Yusuke raised a fist and not for the first time, plugged Koenma solid in the head. "You stupid idiot," Yusuke said. Without another word, Yusuke lead Kurama and Hiei away and back to the Living World

To be continued...

This was a long "Special" wasn't it? lol

This one is dedicated to all the Yu Yu Hakusho fans out there, since we haven't had a whole lot of time to spend with Yusuke's world. :)

I hope you guys enjoyed the little special.

See you soon


	24. Chapter 20: The Fall

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 20: The Fall******

Batman grimaced, more so than was common of the former grim guardian of Gotham as he reached forward and turned off the news reports that were flooding in from still functioning news teams. It was disgusting predictable. According to the latest news, hundreds of bunkers in undisclosed locations had been built and revealed to the public that now housed only the most important and influential member of society to wait out this threat. Despite the secrecy, thousands of people across the world were desperately trying to get in.

He knew that hiding in such a way would not save them. These aliens were highly advanced and were clearly capable of hacking into the worlds broadcasts which meant that the secret facilities would now easily be identified and targeted if extermination was the goal. But it gave the people a sense of security, or at least, the people that were allowed in, anyway.

In the air, Batman's new Batmobile slew sideways as another Earth made vehicle roared in to fly parallel next to him. The indicator that flashed on his display labeled it as the Javelin 14 with John, Shayera, Vigilante, and Shining Knight on board.

"Batman," Shayera said over the comm. "We are heading out to the eastern front. Everyone else from the League is heading out to the west and south and leaving the majority of the States to the X-Men and Iron Man."

"I see," Batman said, disapproving. "I don't think they can handle it by themselves."

"They'll be fine," John said. "I think you're really underestimating them. Don't forget about the Phoenix and Apocalypse. They have amazing potential."

"Right," Batman said. "I am heading to where the world leaders are. Perhaps our military can do more than sit around in an ununified mess."

Over the open channel, Batman could almost hear John stiffen. "Right," John said after a few moments. "Be sure to let us know how that goes."

"Sure," Batman said. "Good luck and be safe."

Again, there was a pause from the other side of the comm. Perhaps John, like Batman, was thinking of the future. "We will. Talk to you later." There was a click and the Javelin banked to the side and headed east.

Batman watched after them for a moment then headed south.

Amanda Waller ran a hand over her short hair as she continued to supervise the final stages of completion the United States branch of the Vaults that were being completed across the world, designed and planned by all of the nation's brightest minds. It was the first time in history that the world had ever completed such a mass project in unity before. Hidden in deepest corners of the globe, 122 of them had been built and she was determined to make this one, Vault 101, the first in commission. Too bad most of the world would never see them. With a sigh, Amanda turned to check on the engineering department.

"Amanda Waller," a deep voice said from the darkness that littered nearly every corner of this place. She jumped despite herself and turned around. A pair of eyes loomed at her out of the darkness and batman emerged, shrugging off the shadows like a cloak.

"Bruce Wayne," Amanda said, cocking an eyebrow to cover her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to understand exactly what it is that is happening here," Batman said, eyeing the corridor for a moment before bringing the full force of his attention on her.

"Safety, Batman," Amanda said simply. "People wanted a safe place in case of an emergency. This is an emergency."

"Yet you aren't letting everyone in," Batman said.

"It wasn't my decision, Batman," Amanda said. "I have my orders, and I will follow them no matter how much I dislike them."

Batman cocked an eye, sensing that Amanda was quietly trying to tell him something without actually saying it. It had been a long time since CADMUS and since then, they had gained new respect for each other but Amanda would die before giving up her career that she had worked so hard for.

"Don't give me that look, Bruce," Amanda said, her own eyes turning suspicious. "I don't know if there will be any plans to let these other people in at any point. They have been very sparse in details about this whole Vault operation. For all I know, we plan to wait out this whole disaster here."

"Don't be naive," Batman said. "If I managed to get in, it will only be a matter of time before they find you and force their way in."

"You just came in as Bruce Wayne," Amanda said immediately.

"Hardly," Batman said, taking note that Bruce Wayne, billionaire, was expected to be allowed in. "I do not need to be so obvious. This facility isn't well hidden enough. Besides, with a hoard of people screaming to be let in, it won't take long for the aliens to catch on."

Amanda glanced to the side toward the giant gates just out of sight and considered. "You may have a point," she conceded and turned back to face Batman. "We may just have to break the rules-" but Batman was already gone, silent as a shadow.

"I hate it when he does that," she growled and unclipped her two way. "Mike, this is Waller. Open the gates and let those people in. Tell the President that it is in the worlds best interest and advise the other Vaults to do the same."

"Yes, ma'am," Mike acknowledged. After a moment, the alarms that alerted that the gates were being opened sounded and the sudden sound of hundreds of people rushing into the fortified Vault.

Amanda turned and made her way back to her office. It was nearly fifteen minutes before she realized that the alarm was still going off. She frowned, knowing that the alarm should have long since ceased. Her eyes widened in sudden realization as she recognized the pitch of the alarm. It was a nuclear missile alert.

Superman's heat vision lances out, useless in causing harm but still powerful enough to force those Doomsday like aliens back and away from his city. Even still and with the help of J'onn Jon'zz, the Flash, and Helena, they were barely able to keep them from the outskirts of the city and Metro Tower in its heart.

He ducked a swing from one of the aliens just as Helena flew in from behind and kicked the alien hard in the back of the head with a powerful side kick. It went sailing forward even as another stepped on from her blind side and slashed downward. Helena reeled back as a gash split open across the right side of her face stretching from temple to chin. Even still, she managed to fire a bolt of energy that blasted the alien back.

From behind the fallen alien, J'onn phased in from behind and pulled the alien deep underground, returning a moment later to assist against the remaining aliens. Flash streaked in, punching the aliens with all the force that his accelerated body could produce, but he did little to damage them. Not that it made him anything close to useless.

"Flash," Superman shouted as he was forced to take to the air along with Helena. "Make a maelstrom."

"Got it," Flash said and began circling the remaining aliens.

"That means run really fast," Helena added as she blast the ground under one monsters feet.

"I said I got it," Flash retorted coldly as he began picking up the pace. "We've done this trick before."

Superman took a deep breath, knowing that this may or may not work and if it did, it was a onetime use. Blowing hard, an arctic wind erupted, blowing down and then around the aliens as Flash's passage forced the wind to circle. With his accelerated motion keeping enough friction to keep himself from freezing, he pushed faster. Just as ice completely encased them, he reached speeds that created such a pitch from his passage that the ice and the aliens trapped inside it shattered.

Flash skidded to a halt pain free, having avoided any flying bits of ice this time around. Flash opened his mouth, but before words could leave him he felt his body forced sideways at high speeds, for once without him doing so. Helena released him and struck a blow to the alien that had tried to attack. J'onn added his own attack, striking a mental blow to the aliens mind. Helena dropped a heavy elbow at the base of the long neck that dropped it to hands and knees before a hand whipped up. Helena vanished, moving at the limits of her incredible speeds and kicking hard from the aliens other side at its ugly face. The aliens hand shot out and caught the kick and yanked hard, pulling her to the ground. Before she could recover, the aliens other hand swung over and down, smashing down on her chest and shoulder. The pain that flared instantly told her even before the sharp cracks could be heard that her shoulder and probably several of her ribs had just broken. Blood spewed from her mouth before Superman forced the alien away.

From the ground in which it had been pulled, the alien from the first group broke free of the ground, flinging dirt and boulders high into the air and rushed to the attack the downed Helena. She forced herself to roll aside as its fist crashed down where she had been. She countered immediately with a flying knee to the face then struck at the alien's neck.

Flash, seeing that the attacks Helena had delivered were too weak, flashed forward and grabbed her out of the way of yet another alien attack. He felt her wheeze slightly and grab her rib cage as she clutched to him for balance.

"Take it easy," Flash said seriously, keeping an eye open for attacks. There was a beep in his ear from the comm. "Kinda busy here," Flash said, answering for big blue, knowing that he was listening.

"We've got a major problem," Mr. Terrific said from where he remained running Metro Tower. "Nuclear missiles have been fired toward the asteroid from hundreds of locations across the world."

"WHAT?" Superman hollered.

"Damn it," Helena swore, listening in on her own comm. that the League had provided her.

"Mr. Terrific," Superman said angrily. "Get out of Metro Tower now. Get to a safe place and set up a new command."

"What are you thinking?" Flash demanded.

"You are going to go stop the missiles," J'onn said. "That means you abandon Metropolis-"

"I know that," Superman roared. "Get out of here. There is nothing you can do." No one dared argue as Superman threw one final punch then streaked off into the sky. Helena swore again and took off after him in a streak of gold.

"What on Earth could they have been thinking?" Superman asked as he and Helena streaked through the sky. "They will destroy them and us at the same time."

"The major nuclear silos are located to the far east of the asteroid and the United States own," Helena said, tapping into the knowledge that Slade had given her about the worlds defenses. "We need to intercept them before they get here."

"Right," Superman said and narrowed his eyes, scanning for the missiles. "Got them. About half coming from or through Russian airspace, the rest launching from the U. S."

"I'll take the one from the east," Helena said. "I am going to try and push them into space or take them out over the water."

"Don't get caught in the blast yourself," Superman warned, eyeing Helena as she continued to grab at her side and broken ribs and shoulder.

"We don't have time to be worrying about that," Helena said. "Good luck."

With a nod, Superman tore off through the sky toward the United States while Helena flew as quickly as she could to the east. It didn't take her long to find them. Like a dark cloud, nearly seventy deadly missiles were on track towards the asteroid in waves measured in miles far above her.

She took a deep breath and rocked spaceward. The blue of the sky gradually changed to that of the black of space as she drove higher and higher to the point in which she could barely breathe. She came to a halt and fired a blast of energy that pierced through the center of the first missile and exploded violently in a wash of greens and blues in space.

She turned her attention to the next one in line, cursing the fact that they're not all crowded together. It sure would make her life much easier. Another bolt of energy from her hand blew up another of the missiles before she was forced to return to the lower atmosphere to regain her breath. From that low, she could not see well enough into space to see the missiles, however and once again returned to just below space to dispatch several more.

She looked in the direction of Superman and, without air to soften the distances, could clearly see the Man of Steel easily destroying his assigned missiles. Knowing that Caliwone would never let Superman get the better of him like this, Helena drew her energy together and launched her signature attack.

The Noventa Cannon flashed outward and split into several blasts, denoting on command and sending five more missiles into fiery oblivion before another trip into the atmosphere. After nearly fifteen minutes, all the nuclear missiles had been dispatched and Helena streaked back to Metropolis to find the city already in ruins. Superman was already there, standing on the ruins of the globe of the Daily Planet, his cape fluttering around him.

"Superman," Helena started to say but cut herself off as she caught sight of his face. She expected tears, sadness, maybe even despair. On his face now was terrifying fury. Never before had she ever seen or hear of the Boy Scout with the look of death on his face.

He turned his head and looked at her. "They will pay," he said and tore off into the sky heading toward the asteroid. This time, Helena did not follow him.

A blast of green light blew apart the ground directly in front of one of the aliens, looking no different than any of the others, and blew it backwards to crash heavily through one of the smaller buildings in the city. Reaching his power ring out once more to finish the job, John Stewart created a chain saw in the air and brought it crashing down onto the fallen alien. Even still, the alien shrugged off the attack as if it was little more than a gnat buzzing around its ear.

Not too far off, Shayera and Vigilante were struggling with another alien. The pistols that Vigilante used were less than useful but they did make a lot of noise and did the job of drawing the alien's attention long enough for Shayera to slip in just long enough to swing her mace upward and rock its head back. As she did so, Shinning Knight leapt in with his mystical sword raised and pierced through the back of the alien's neck. It fell to the ground, twitching slightly but the trio had already moved on to the next alien.

"Good thing that Capt found that weakness herein," Vigilante said, panting hard as he tried to keep up with Shayera's swift pace. "Provin' dead useful."

"I concur," Shining Knight agreed. "These demons slay much quicker now."

"Don't get too excited," John said. "Just get the job done." He sent a beam of light out behind Shayera as an alien bull rushed her, transforming into a pair of pliers as he pulled her to safety.

"Watch it, John," Shayera snapped, racing toward him just in time to deflect a massive hand with her mace as it struck down toward him. "Be careful," she added.

There was a yell of pain that was cut off abruptly and replaced by the crunching and squelching sound of someone who had just been pounded into the ground.

"Comrade!" Shining Knight roared. He leapt toward his foe, sword brandished and in a rage and didn't see the alien stepping from the side. In one fell swoop, only two League members remained on the battlefield with the company of ten more aliens.

"This is just great," John growled as he turned to press his back up against Shayera's. "We need to find a way to retreat ASAP."

"I don't know how easy that is going to be," Shayera answered as the aliens closed ranks around them. "Your ring is almost useless against these now and my mace really just doesn't do the job." She sighed. "I really wish Caliwone was here." She paused expectantly and even looked over her shoulder, honestly expecting him to drop down next to her and save the day but there was nothing. She sighed again and lifted her mace a little higher, the electricity at its head sparking and hissing.

The aliens all came to an abrupt halt fifteen feet away, all looking at her and John. The two heroes exchanged an uneasy glance, neither understanding what it was that had forced a halt to the immovable alien army. Under their feet, the ground began to tremble.

"Move!" Shayera yelled as she realized what this could only mean. They both leapt aside, watching the ground where they had just been and not paying attention to where they were going. The line of aliens acted as a ring, slamming crippling blows that threw them both back into the center of the circle. Shayera flapped her wings hard, forcing herself into the air despite the agonizing pain that latest blow had inflicted as whatever it was underneath the ground tunneled toward her with frightening speed.

John was quicker, having only to think the motion. He was just fast enough. From under the ground burst another alien, this one entirely different from the Doomsday like aliens. This one was thin and streamlined with sharp pointed claws for hands that stabbed out, trying to skewer the heroes.

John stretched out his right hand, still floating backwards. Shayera looked down as well, wanting to see how the new enemy would react to his attack but it never came. She looked over, frowning and saw a sight that made her blood freeze.

Another alien, this one with black angel like wings similar to her own had swooped down from above. A stinger the size of a human arm attached to a skeletal tail was sunk straight through John's chest. For a moment, they hung there, time having stopped. Slowly it seemed, John looked over at her, dark liquid beginning to ooze from his mouth. His eyes locked for a moment before he turned his gaze behind her.

Abruptly, time seemed to flow at normal speed again. John had warned her with his eyes that another prey bird was coming in for her. She rotated herself, swinging her mace around even as she screamed her husband's name. She was just in time. Her mace connected say with the deadly tail and knocking it away. The tail flew off in a spray of green blood as she raced over to John who was now falling to the ground.

She caught him before he hit the ground, screaming for him even as tears flooded her face. In the near distance, behind the shattered remains of what had once been family homes, a blue light flashed, reflected off shattered glass and destroyed cars. As if on cue, the hoard of larger aliens started forward. She jerked forward suddenly from where she was kneeling against her own will. She looked down at herself, thinking that in her distraught state it had been a nervous twitch or something. The same stinger that had taken her husband's life was now protruding from her own chest. She felt no pain, nor did she feel the mace slip through her suddenly limp fingers to the ground.

In front of her, one large alien stepped in close and raised a fist. There a crack like a whip that echoed all around the devastated battleground and the huge alien seemed to jump slightly. Suddenly, there was a right arm wrapped around the thick neck, heavily bandaged up to the shoulder and with a familiar white glove encasing the hand.

The alien fell to the ground, dead before it hit with a thunderous crash. Caliwone stood there, his hair the familiar gold with icy blue eyes. His left arm remained familiarly muscled while his right arm was bandaged. His blue outfit had been swapped out for one similarly designed but white with a blue belt, complete with an open and sleeveless white Shinigami kimono with blue trim. His eyes looked down at her and John, not coldly but neither with horrified wide eyes.

"Cal-" she started to saw but blood spewed out as the prey bird removed its stinger. "Nice look." Unsupported by the stinger now, she fell forward on top of John, her eyes open and blood leaking from her mouth and chest.

Caliwone didn't move, simply looked down upon his oldest friend now lying dead at his feet. One of the aliens took a step toward him, growling deep in its throat. Blue electricity arced from him, digging a deep gash in the concrete as his eyes narrowed and his head turned to glare at the alien. More lightning arced as a light wind picked up, ruffling his hair. He turned his back to his friends and stood tall, growling fiercely and then abruptly vanished. Before any of the aliens could comprehend what was happening, the first row of aliens fell bleeding to the ground.

There was a roaring outcry from the aliens as they turned as one to face the newcomer but before they could do more than spot the Saiyan Elite, gold light erupted, leveling the city in a blinding flash and a roar of loss and pain.

The light settled and slowly faded. The city itself was no more than a crater with not even the barest of broken glass to mark its existence say for a small patch of cement and the bodies of John Stewart and Shayera Hol-Stewart. Caliwone walked over to them, for the first time that he could remember since arriving on Earth, Caliwone felt his eyes burn.

"I am sorry," Caliwone said, bowing his head. "I will make everything right."

To be continued...

R.I.P. Shayera and John

Things are really starting to look bad with the death of more and more League members and others continue to climb. Now the death of two of the founding members are among them. With Caliwone's return and his astounding display of power, will the world be able to hang on long enough for him to make a difference?

What about Captain America and the X-Men or the Teen Titans? Can they win or even survive? And how about our favorite Shinigami? Will they be making an appearance along with Yusuke and friends?

There is a lot left of this story and so many twists left to be played out. Make sure to review and stay tuned for the dramatic final episodes of Dragon Sagas


	25. Chapter 20 Special: Sidekicks

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 20.5: The Sidekicks******

**Special**

Kuwabara stretched hard and lay back down on the grass, completely exhausted by the endless hoard of alien invaders. Luckily, the majority of the aliens seemed to have left this area untarnished. Good thing too since Yusuke up and vanished a day or so ago.

"Ah, Urameshi, why do you guys always leave me behind?"

"Probably because you're an annoying fool," a dry voice said.

Kuwabara looked up and saw both Kurama and Hiei walking toward him, serious expressions on both of their faces. "And why are you lying on the ground doing nothing?"

"Hey guys, what's up?" Kuwabara said, so relieved to see them that he didn't even take offense to Hiei's words.

"We have come to help you here," Kurama said, looking around perplexed. "But it would seem you have everything handled here without us."

"More like this small human town was not worth the alien's time," Hiei snorted. "There focus seems to be on larger cities where the effect of their terror can fully be realized. On a small town like this, their efforts would be wasted as nobody would realize it was gone."

"Hey," Kuwabara said. "This is a great little town."

"Exactly," Hiei commented emotionlessly. "Little."

"Then perhaps we should depart for a larger area," Kurama said, staving off Kuwabara.

"Fine," Hiei said. "You lived with the humans, Kurama, any ideas as to where?"

"A place that has not been attacked already, you mean?" Kurama asked dryly. "I am not sure. I recommend heading toward the mainland and going from there."

"Alright," Kuwabara said excitedly, jumping to his feet. "Come on guys."

"Where are you going?" Hiei asked. "The mainland is the other way."

"I know that, you half pint," Kuwabara shouted back over his shoulder. "We need to stop at my house first."

"I cannot believe this," Hiei muttered, once again amazed at the sheer stupidity of humans as Kuwabara, grinning broadly, opened the garage to his house to reveal a truly beat up van.

"What a piece of junk," Hiei said, almost unable to even look at the rusted van with its falling bumper, mismatched paint, and duck tape that was holding the rest of the van together.

"She may not look like much but she'll push point five past light speed, Hiei," Kuwabara said.

"What?" Hiei asked, completely lost by his stupid ramblings.

"Never mind, Hiei," Kuwabara said, opening his driver's door.

"I believe he was quoting a movie," Kurama said under his breath.

"You wouldn't know anything about that, shrimp," Kuwabara said closing the door behind him. He opened it again and slammed it shut, this time succeeding in closing it firmly. "Hurry up and get. We haven't got all day, you know."

The two demons glanced once at each other then went to the passenger side sliding door and climbed in apprehensively. Kurama immediately buckled his seat belt and hid his nervousness under his ever calm exterior and simply folded one leg over the other.

Hiei eyed Kurama silently for a moment, noting that with his crossed legs, long red hair, and slightly feminine facial features as to why he had been mistaken for a female for most of his college life. He, on the other hand, did not strap his seat belt but simply gripped into the seat in front of his like a vice as Kuwabara reached forward and turned the ignition. With a rumble and a cloud of black exhaust, the three were on their way.

"Look," Ishida said, pointing up the road to an abandoned looking gas station. "Let's make a stop there, grab some food, and rest up a bit before going on."

Chad, as was usual, said nothing but Orihime jumped up and down in joy. "I can't wait! Chocolate, ice cream, and snacks of all kinds."

Ishida watched her, feeling his face reddening as certain parts of her anatomy bounced more than others. He coughed to clear his throat and tried hard to tear his eyes away from her bouncing bosom. "I was thinking maybe some water or melons to grab." He stopped, horrified at what he had just said. "I mean, not that I am thinking about anybody's melons or anything. I mean, I just wanted something juicy to eat. I mean-"

Orihime laughed, ignorant as to what Ishida was saying. She ran forward and grabbed his arm and starting pulling him faster toward the station. "You are so weird, Uryu. Hurry up. They might even have some beef jerky!"

Ishida gulped, feeling his face burning as they entered the store. It was completely abandoned yet the doors swung open without the least resistance. Above them, a little bell rang.

"They do have beef jerky," Orihime exclaimed and she let go of Ishida's arm and hurried over to the snack isle. "And potato chips, and pretzels, and popcorn, too."

"Orihime, how are we going to make popcorn?" Ishida asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Orihime said, turning her smiling face up at Ishida. "All we do is build a fire out of these cardboard boxes and have you light them on fire with your blue gun thing."

"It's a bow," Ishida said stiffly. "And I am not sure if that would really work."

"Hey," Chad said, pointing out of the nearest glass window. "There is someone coming."

Ishida hurried over to Chad and looked. Trundling toward them was a full sized caravan with duck tape holding a vast majority of it together. With a screech of over used breaks, the van came to a stop at the pump. The door popped open and a tall brawny kid with red hair got out and picked up the pump. Almost before he had gotten out, a shorter person with large black spiked hair lept out, the look on his face saying clearly that he had just undergone a near death experience.

"I would rather crawl into the bellow of a Sardanion Galapador than get into that thing with you again," he roared, completely ignoring the young woman that got out of the van with him.

Ishida pushed up his glasses with one finger as he watched her. He never had been good with the ladies but persistence always won eventually. He snuck to a closer window as the long red headed girl spoke.

"Calm down, Hiei. It wasn't that bad. That is why we wear seat belts."

"If this is the thanks I get for trying to help get us around, than you can stay here for all I care," the taller man said as he tried valiantly to feed his gas card into the pump.

"Yes, I think I might just do that, Kuwabara," Hiei said. "I will not do it, Kurama. No way."

Ishida nearly fell over. He had met these people once before. They friends with that Urameshi kid that Ichigo knew. And they were all men. He shuddered as he took closer look at Kurama. Well, anyone can make a mistake.

He opened the door and walked over to them, lifting a hand in greeting. "Hey guys. Where are you headed?"

Hiei was the first to respond. "Who the Hell are you?"

"Ishida Uryu," Kurama said before Ishida could answer. "He is a friend of Ichigo's, remember?"

"If you say so, Kurama," Hiei said and deftly turned his back to Ishida.

"We are trying to find a place to help in the war," Kurama said. "Kuwabara was kind enough to risk his vehicle to bring us to the front."

"I see," Ishida said unconvincingly as he stole another glance at the van and Kuwabara, now leaning casually against it as the gas pumped.

"Look, it's not my fault we don't have a jet or something," Kuwabara said defensively. "This thing cost me all I had so stop knocking it."

There was a ping from the gas pump and Kuwabara removed the nozzle. "Mind if we join you?" Ishida asked before they all piled in and took off.

"I'm not getting back in that thing," Hiei snarled.

"We would be glad to have you," Kurama said. Shortly after, Chad, Orihime, Ishida, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara were heading down the road once more.

"I cannot stand it anymore," Hiei snarled as he rolled down the window and stuck his head out. "That putrid smell of human stink is overwhelmingly." Ishida and Orihime exchanged a glance as Hiei and Kuwabara exchanged verbal insults about each other's ancestry.

Kurama turned an apologetic smile onto the rest of the group. "How are you fairing against the aliens?"

"Well enough," Ishida said. "At least, when we can find them. Ichigo seems to be very effective. They appear to not be able to see him."

"I see," Kurama said. "Perhaps, in Caliwone's absence, he may prove to be the best hope the humans have."

With a clunk and a shudder, and the engine cut out and the van died. They rolled to a halt in silence before Hiei got out of the van.

"Terrific," Hiei said, looking murderously at Kuwabara. "Now we are stranded in the middle of nowhere with a war going on that we cannot reach simply because your van is a true piece of trash."

Kuwabara said nothing, just slammed his forehead into his steering wheel. "Piece of junk," he said.

To be continued...

Alright guys, that was the very last special in the Dragon Sagas series and I hope you enjoyed it. Since we never really had much time to get to know the Sidekicks of Ichigo's of Yusuke's teams very much, I thought I would give of one last round. :-)

I will update the main body on Friday and we will be able to see how effective Captain America is against this threat. Until then, cheers.


	26. Chapter 21: Tides

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Team Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 21: Tides**** **

Batman had never been the type to wear his emotions out in the open, forever concealed behind a cold exterior and a black cowl. Even now as Caliwone floated down from the darkened sky, his white and blue kimono fluttering around his white with blue belt as he carried both John and Shayera's lifeless bodies in each arm over to him.

He turned his back even as Superman fought back angry tears and J'onn Jon'zz, Diana, and Flash all bowed their heads. Helena had turned partly away but was watching silently. Her eyes met Caliwone as he laid down the two heroes and he motioned her over with a jerk of his head. She raised her eyes slightly and straightened; following him away from the League.

"You need to inform me as to what has been going on while I have been away," Caliwone said, casually crossing his arms, the fingers of his left hand playing lightly with his bandage that covered nearly the entirety of his right arm.

"Sure," Helena said with a nod. "But first, tell me what happened to your arm."

Caliwone looked down, almost surprised to see the bandage or as if he had forgotten about it. He looked back up, the familiar arrogant look on his face that said he was on the verge of refusing. Perhaps it was the loss of Shayera and John that softened his resolve. "This bandage is a seal," he said and Helena saw the ancient enchantment seals that she had seen in television shows and movies inscribed upon the bandages. "It seal's the majority of the power of my right arm away. Unless I remove the bandages, my full power is inaccessible."

Her eyes widened slightly then narrowed. She knew better than anyone, except maybe Caliwone, that he was dominantly right handed. To seal the majority of his power away on that same arm...

"About how much of your power is hidden?"

Caliwone lifted his head, considering. "If I had to put a number on it, I would have to say close to seventy five percent."

She rocked back on her heels visibly. "Seventy five?" she said, sounding dazed. "Why on Earth would you do such a thing, especially now, in this situation?"

Caliwone looked down at her coolly. "Worry about yourself," he said. "Now, tell me what has been going on."

"Well," she said hesitantly. "Most of the major cities in the world have fallen, including Washington D.C., Gotham, Metropolis, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo. Most of the League is dead-"

"I know that," Caliwone said, the bitterness in his voice overly harsh. "Give me the important stuff only."

She looked at him, resisting her human urge to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Their deaths aren't your fault," she started to say.

"Shut up," Caliwone snapped. "Do not presume to tell me what is and is not my fault. If you will not give me the information I need, then I will get it from someone else."

Helena felt a twinge of anger cross through her. Anger that turned into pity for Caliwone, pride so eclipsing his emotions that at some point, he would simply blow up. She took a breath but before she could say anything, Batman called them over.

"Several years ago," Batman started as the others drew nearer, "John and I were involved in a mission that was off the records. In fact, you," he nodded toward Wonder Woman, "were involved as well.

"A man named David Clinton, later known as Chronos, boarded the Watch Tower in order to steal one of my utility belts. We chased him into a time portal that he had created and eventually we ended up nearly twenty years into the future from now.

"In that future, the Justice League was all but destroyed, leaving only a few members alive including myself, a much older Virgil- Static Shock- a new Batman, and a man known as Warhawk; Rex Stewart, John and Shayera's son."

There was a quiet murmur from the group in front of him before he continued.

"Static alluded to some event or disaster that had taken place in which the majority of the world's heroes had been killed. I am convinced now that this is the event that had wiped out the League in that future. Of course, at the time, we had more pressing concerns and did not learn any details."

"And you didn't think that that kind of information would have been important to tell us a long time ago?" Superman roared.

"The future is very fluid," Batman said shortly. "Besides, I have never trusted such things. Even still, I have tried everything in my power to prevent that chain of events. Why do you think I pulled strings to free Caliwone when he was imprisoned with the League? Why do you think I have done the best I could to weaponize the League and build relations with other groups outside of the League?"

Superman recoiled slightly. As he had to constantly remind himself that if anybody cared more about the League or the people of Earth as a whole more than he did, it was Batman.

"You cannot concern yourselves with the future," Caliwone said unexpectedly from the back of the group. "Concern yourselves with the fate of your immediate situation. Just fight and survive the best you can now. The future will take care of itself."

He turned with a swish of his kimono and left, Helena following quickly behind him.

Once again, Steve Rogers found himself in an airplane with Logan, about to be dropped off in a war zone. Accept this time, he was having a small army accompany them.

The X-Men's Blackbird screeched through night sky, flying well below one hundred feet. Behind him, Scott adjusted his visor and several of the others finished putting on gloves or tied up boots. From the back of the plane, Kitty Pryde pushed her way up to kneel on the floor between Logan and Captain America. "I know this will be a little bit dangerous," she said, as serious as Logan could ever remember her being, "but we are going to be dropping you two off first. No parachutes. We will come in after we land to back you up."

"This isn't the first time we have ever had to do this, half pint," Logan said with a grin over at Capt. "We are old pros at this kinda thing."

"Glad to hear it," Kitty said, clapping both men on the backs. "Good luck, boys."

In front of them, the rear hatch opened and wind erupted around them, nearly blowing Kitty over with its force. With one last clap of hands, Logan and Rogers jumped out. The ground rushed up at them as the jet blew through the middle of a city street, the long wings nearly brushing the large buildings on other side and passing over the largest invasion force yet; consisting of several dozen of the creatures.

They hit the ground, rolling and skidding for several hundred feet before standing up through the dust and facing the army. The last remnants of the sun were setting as the aliens turned, jaws opening with a fierce roar as their presence was noted. Capt did not wait. His shield glinted as he hurled it, the motion seeming far more fluid with all the unwanted Stark Industries technology removed from it. It flew through the air and slammed full tilt into one, bounced off into another, and flew back to him.

Logan had rushed forward with a roar cry, his claws extended and flashed as the unbreakable adamantium sliced clean cut into whatever they touched. With a snarl, Logan lept sideways as the first of the aliens tried to counter, shifting his attentions to the next in line. He jumped high and brought his claws slashing down, leaving bear claw like gashes across the broad chest.

He rolled to the side, sensing rather than seeing the attack coming in from behind just in time to avoid a blow that would have crushed a bus. Capt came sprinting in at that moment, his shield strapped to his left arm and swung downward with all of his strength. The sharp edge of the shield pierced just enough of the alien's thick skin to reach but not break the aliens spin. Cursing slightly, Capt plunged his other hand into the wound, took hold of the spine and pulled but the alien was simply too tough and he could not break it.

From behind him as the alien roared and tried to throw him off, another of the lumbering aliens reached over and grabbed Capt around the waist and yanked him off with enough force to snap the other alien's neck that Capt still managed to hold into.

Logan slashed outward at the aliens arm, succeeding in cutting through the thick tough skin but it wasn't enough to free Capt. With a vicious back hand, Logan was knocked clear off his feet and slammed hard into and through a brick wall. Immediately, three other aliens jumped high into the sky and landed with thunderous blows into the building, collapsing it in rumble.

Capt struggled in the aliens grip, wanting to get over to Logan and try and help before the alien slammed him into the ground. He just managed to get his shield underneath him and soften the blow, causing the ground itself to shatter and break but do relatively little damage to him.

He opened his eyes again, struggling to find a way free when the ground suddenly crystallized into a sheet of ice beneath him. The alien released him just as the X-Men arrived, Scott opening up with a flash from his optic blasts.

The alien above Capt lifted its arm to kill Capt before moving on but Kitty Pryde and Rogue phased up out of the ground behind it. Grabbing the alien around the leg, Kitty phased back down, leaving Rogue to battle the aliens. In the center of the group, Kurt was porting from one alien to the next, teleporting it high and allowing it to fall hard to the ground and moving on to the next.

Beast bounced around, trying his best to strike at weak points since his strength was not equal to the aliens. Lighting struck from heaven as Storm flew over head, raining hail the size of cars down on them. Lava like fire erupted near one side as Amara called upon the Earth for help through her connection with fire.

Logan forced himself out from under the rubble, gasping for air. Capt was running over as best he could, blocking and reflecting blows from the hoard as he tried to get to him. "Logan!"

"I'm fine, Capt," Logan called, freeing the rest of his body from the mass. "Go."

Capt nodded and moved on, battling as best he could. Logan was not far behind, fighting to rejoin the X-Men. They reached Storm and Beast, managing to survive if not battle effectively in the mass confusion.

"These things are much stronger than I thought they would be," Storm said, creating a twister to assist in blocking then using it to force the alien away. She lifted a hand and pointed, sending lightning racing through it and then to the next.

"Yes, they are," Capt said. "Good thing I have a package on the way."

There was the sound of a high speed jet over head. What seemed to be a small bomb dropped from it. It crashed into the ground in the very heart of the battle, drawing the attention of most of the aliens and mutants. Within the cloud of smoke and debris came a deep growl.

"Hulk," Logan said.

"Yes," Capt said.

"Isn't he likely to be more of a danger than an asset?" Beast asked. "Didn't he already try and fight against these aliens in Gotham?"

"Yes, he did," Capt said. "I understand that he wasn't as effective as S.H.I.E.L.D. had hoped but Fury said he wanted to give it another try."

"But he isn't controllable," Storm said. "He's likely to attack one of us as much as one of them."

"I doubt it," Logan said. "I've run across the Hulk before and I can tell you, he can still recognize faces. He suffered a defeat at the hands of these aliens. He won't forget it. Besides," he said, shooting a grin over at Capt. "I've got a surprise coming, too."

The dust settled and in the fading cloud the Hulk stood fully matched in size and muscle to the aliens. His hateful eyes recognized the aliens as enemies. He gave one last huff then let loose a roar. The aliens responded in kind and the Hulk threw itself at the first.

A cheer went up from some of the X-Men before they too leapt back into battle. Logan and Capt threw themselves back into the fray as well, trusting in the Hulk and his abilities.

One of the aliens had been thrown bodily by the Hulk, crashing near the X-Men. Boom-Boom hurried over and placed her hands on the alien before it got back up. When she removed them, a large pile of glowing balls rested on it. There was a massive explosion that blew over a few of the X-Men but did little more than scuffle the monsters body and armor. She retreated quickly as it lashed outward, blowing a hole into the ground. She rolled away as it struck again and suddenly fire erupted around it as Amara came to help.

The Hulk roared as it grabbed another of the aliens, ignoring the blows to its back as anger increased within him. With a brutal swing, the Hulk stunned the monster in its clutches. It fell to its knees, unable to stand as the Hulk took both its arms from behind and with a powerful kick to the center of its back, tore the arms from the alien.

The Hulk threw the arms away, roaring in victory as it took aim at yet another of aliens. Before it could start forward, one of the aliens slammed an elbow across the side of his face. He stumbled slightly before grabbing hold of yet another alien and swung it down to the ground. Before he could strike it, a different alien spun him around by the shoulder. The Hulk reached out to hit back but the alien took hold of his wrist. For a moment, the two pushed and pulled in a titanic battle of strength before the Hulk kicked out at the aliens chest, sending it crashing backward into several others and a few of the X-Men. There was no time for rest as yet another alien rushed forward, most of the attention on the only real threat to them in this group.

There was the sound of thunderous footsteps getting closer and closer to them from just around one of the buildings. Nothing could be seen yet and it seemed as though the aliens did not notice.

Logan smiled slightly. "Hey, Chuck, are you ready?" he yelled out.

Charles rolled over to his side in what was now an abandoned battlefield. "Yes, I will do the best I can."

Logan nodded and through a building Juggernaut burst through, his long lopping strides powerful and unbreakable as he bull rushed the first line of aliens, making a straight line for Charles.

"I really hope you know what you are doing, Logan," Xavier said. "My half brother, Cain does not listen to reason."

"I remember," Logan said. "That's why his helmet got conveniently lost before S.H.I.E.L.D. let him loose. Hopefully he will either get distracted in the battle or you can break into his mind and redirect him."

"I do not like this," Charles said, placing his first two fingers of wither hand to his temples, "but I understand the necessity in this case."

"Or he and the Hulk don't go at it again the way they did last time they met," Logan said.

"BROTHER!" Cain roared, roughly throwing an alien aside from behind in order to clear a path to his hated brother.

"Cain," Charles said. "Now is not the time. The invasion-"

"I do not care about them," Cain shouted, slamming one of his massive fists down hard onto another of the aliens with force of a pile driver. "I just want to put your head on a platter."

Charles sighed and braced himself. Invading another mind like this was strongly against all the principles he had set for himself as a telepath but this was life and death. He reached out with his mind and gently stroked it as opposed to sending concussion blast of psychic power with the intention of crippling the Juggernaut. Instead, he slightly altered his perceptions, forcing his mind to redirect his rage away from Charles and to the aliens instead. With a roar of rage, Cain rushed off into the fight.

"Good work," Capt said as he watched the unstoppable Juggernaut. "He will at least supply a descent distraction for them."

There was a scream from one of the mutants. Logan jerked his head to see who it was and saw Kitty and now several of the others around her pointing up into the air. Logan followed their gaze and pointing fingers and felt his own mouth drop. Moving with deceptive slowness, the asteroid was crawling across the sky, slowly eclipsing the entirety of the sky. Pouring from thousands of locations around the asteroid, more aliens spewed, these ones with black angel like wings on grotesque bodies with stingers on their tails flew down toward them like bees from a stirred up bee hive.

"Oh crap," Logan said.

Helena followed Caliwone closely, noting with some uneasiness that he was not heading in any direction of any known battle ground. Was he intending for the two of them to face these aliens alone as Saiyans? Her question was answered almost immediately as he angled down suddenly and came to a landing in the middle of nowhere.

"Caliwone?" a voice called out from somewhere in the trees.

Caliwone looked up and to the side and saw Mr. Terrific emerging from the foliage.

"There you are," Caliwone said. "Where is it?"

Mr. Terrific looked confused for a moment. "Where is what?" he asked, looking over at Helena as of for clues.

"My only possession," Caliwone said.

"Ah," Mr. Terrific said with sudden realization. "I thought it would be good to hold onto it after you left it lying around the Watch Tower. I thought you said you were never going to use it again?"

"My own strength is great enough," Caliwone said shortly. "Bring it to me."

Mr. Terrific turned around and headed back into his make shift command tower in the woods and returned a few minutes later with a katana sheathed in black and gold wood. There no intricate designs on it, nothing that would label this weapon as anything out of the ordinary but Caliwone knew better.

With a nod, Caliwone took the weapon and turned to Helena. "This sword was crafted for me by an old man a long time ago," he said and pulled the blade out from the sheath, holding the katana above his head and letting light reflect off of the unmarked sharp blade. "It name is Mangetsuken, the Full Moon Blade. It was made with my own blood and energy and will only release its potential with me."

She looked on, impressed despite herself, as his energy rose a bit, running off his hand and into the sword. It glowed golden and grew in size, getting longer and wider as he held it, looking more like the fang of a monstrous beast than a sword any more. He turned and walked a little way away from her and Mr. Terrific. Lifting the mighty sword, Caliwone swung it from right to left. Energy the color of the fullest moon lanced outward like a crescent moon, cutting through the rows of trees in front of him like a scythe.

Helena nodded, understanding. With the seal on Caliwone's dominant arm restricting the majority of his power, this sword, Mangetsuken, was able to lend Caliwone its considerable power and help even out his odds. She crossed her arms as he turned and walked back to them, the sword returning to its normal state as he came closer.

"Very nice," she said. "Who knew that a mere blade could possess power. Maybe you should have used it when you fought me. You would have at least put up a better fight."

"Hn," Caliwone snorted. Rotating the sword in his hand as to point the blade away from her, he held out the hilt to her. "Here. I want you to have it."

Helena mind took a few steps before shuttering to a halt, realizing what it was he had just said. "What?"

He looked at her, annoyed. "Take the sword, woman."

She ruffled a little but moved past it. "You need it more than I do," she said, turning half away and folding her arms. "You're the one with the handy cap."

"You do not need to worry about me," Caliwone said, not lowering the sword. "I will be fine. You, on the other hand, need all the power you can get for the coming battle."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Helena asked sharply. "Besides, it only works for you, remember?"

"It reacts to my alien energy and DNA," Caliwone said. "The same DNA and energy that is coursing through your veins thanks to Slade. You should be able to wield it."

She hesitated a moment then reached out and gripped the hilt. "Now what?" she asked, holding the blade high then swinging it around a little.

"Allow the blade to become one with you," Caliwone said. "Allow your energy to flow through it as if it was an extension of your own arm."

"Right," Helena said wryly, seeing for the first time how difficult something like that really was. The movies always made it seem so easy to learn. She frowned, holding out the sword to her right and looking down the length of the blade. She allowed her energy to rise, trying to force it down into the sword. She felt the blade pulse once in her hand, reacting to her energy. She took a deep breath and tried again. The blade glowed and expanded, transforming itself into the true form of Mangetsuken once more.

"Excellent," Caliwone said. "This will give you the power you need to defeat the aliens in battle, no matter what tricks they hide."

Helena looked at him skeptically. "Maybe once," she said. "They will still adapt to attacks."

"To Tsuki o Sakugen and the other energy based attacks, perhaps," Caliwone said, naming the attack he had just demonstrated for her. "But the blade itself they cannot and it is more than strong enough to cut through any armor and clear through their thick flesh and bone."

"Where did you get this thing?" Helena asked incredulously as Caliwone turned his back to her.

"That is a story for another time," he said. With that, he leapt into the air. Helena let the sword shrink once more and sheathed it before taking off after him.

To be continued…

Well, things are continuing to look bad for Earth and her heroes. How will the Mutants and Captain America fair now that they will be attacked by an army of Doomsday aliens and from death of black angel winged demons? Hopefully no more of out heroes will have to die.

Only four more episodes before Dragon Sagas Book Four is completed. Please take the time to review my work and leave a comment. I want to make sure that the ending is to everyone's liking.

Thank you in advance for all of the reviews, everybody.

Special thanks to my man Kobez2.0 for all the work Beta-ing and allowing me to bounce ideas off of him.

Read you all soon,

The Dark Prince

ps, the percentage has been corrected. lol


	27. Chapter 22: The Storm Front

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 22: The Storm Front******

Helena followed in Caliwone's slip stream as the two raced through the skies, Caliwone's blue aura mixing with Helena's red. Along her left side, stuffed through her belt, was the new sword Caliwone had given to her; the Mangetsuken. She glanced down at it, not yet use to how it banged across her left leg as the wind rushed by but tried to pay it no mind. If this thing was as powerful as he said, and she had no doubt that it was, it could prove to be a very useful tool. She shuddered again as she remembered the attack Caliwone had showed her.

"The asteroid is moving," Caliwone said, pointing with his bandaged hand.

Helena looked up sharply. He was right. Moving with deceptive slowness, the enormous asteroid was moving south and slightly east, pushing cloud formations aside with the force of its mass. Even as the two Saiyans flashed toward it, what looked to be a large dark rain cloud hovered beneath it, heading down toward the ground.

"What is that?" Helena asked, squinting her eyes to get a better look.

"Enemies," Caliwone said. In a flash of gold, he transformed and tore forward, his transformation enabling him to more the double his speed. She followed his lead, keeping pace with him as the dark cloud materialized into its individual aliens, all with dark angel like wings descending onto a mass of humans.

Without thinking, Helena put on a burst of speed and drew the Mangetsuken. It transformed without her even trying into its true form. The normal katana's blade, nondescript other than its sharpness, transformed into a blade nearly the full length of her body and about half her width. She could feel the sword pulse once in her hand and almost move of its own accord. She swept the blade horizontally from right to left.

Light the color of the fullest moon lanced outward like a scythe, cutting through the swarm of aliens, annihilating them all on the spot.

Caliwone slowed in the air, nodding with approval at her handling of the Mangetsuken, then dropped down to the ground. Helena followed, raising the sword to strike but before she could swing it, Caliwone vanished. She froze, trying to find Caliwone in midst of the battle still raging below. He had landed in the center of the battle, kneeling down on one knee and resting his left hand on the ground. Almost invisible, and to Helena's senses, she could almost see a ripple effect from his energy spread out to the edge of the battle. Without warning, energy flared upward, spiking every one of the aliens through their backs or chests like spears, lifting them clear off the ground and held them there until Caliwone released them. They fell to in a heap. All was silent as the mutants all looked over at him, stunned at seeing his return and power.

All accept two.

With a roar, the Hulk and Juggernaut rushed him, remembering him from a previous battle. Caliwone turned to face them and with one smooth motion flipped them over himself to land on their backs on the ground. They both roared and struggled back to him. Caliwone floated backwards out of the way, his eyes watching them carefully.

Rogue leapt forward to get in front of the Hulk and Logan tried to stop the Juggernaut. Caliwone merely jumped over to them to speak with Charles. He eyed Captain America up and down for a moment before speaking.

"What is the status with the asteroid?" he asked, never having been one for small talk.

"I do not know," Charles answered. "We just saw it a few minutes ago."

"The aliens were very good about taking out our communications systems first. We are practically blind out here," Capt said. "We don't even have any idea how well the Justice League are fairing."

"Not very well," Caliwone said, growling without meaning to as he relived the death of Shayera and John in his mind. "Most of them are dying on the front lines."

Charles ran his hands over his bald head in distress. "We cannot win this way," he said.

Caliwone paused in his response as behind him the Hulk or Juggernaut roared as they still tried to reach him. "Do you have any idea as to where the asteroid could be going? Anything of importance out in that direction?"

"There could be hundreds of possibilities," Charles said. "Military bases, headquarters, Genoshia-" He froze.

"That has to be it," Capt said. "Magneto and his mutants."

"But why would they care about them?" Kitty said, joining in on the conversation.

"Because there is a significant force there, whether or not they are choosing to take part as of yet," Helena said darkly. "This is a great opportunity for them."

"Fine," Caliwone said. "Then get yourselves to Genoshia and make a final stand there. The Justice League will join you there."

"And what of you?" Charles asked. "We really need your strength."

"My power can only be applied in limited battles," Caliwone said.

"Are you kidding me?" Kitty said, looking at Caliwone in surprise. "Look what you just did."

"That attack will not work twice," Caliwone said. "Unless something is done about that duplicating technology they possess, we are all fighting a losing battle."

"True," Capt said. "But other than destroying the asteroid as a whole, we would have to send a sabotage team up and find the machine, also a near impossibility considering the volume that must be searched."

Caliwone didn't say anything, just gazed up at the drifting asteroid for a moment. His eyes unfocused, seeming completely oblivious to the now free Hulk baring down on him before he looked back down to Charles and Captain America.

"Get to Genoshia anyway you can, as quickly as you can and prepare for the final battle. Either we win there, or all is lost." In a wink of motion, Caliwone simply vanished, leaving nothing more than a vague after image as the Hulk slammed the ground where he had been.

Helena wasn't fooled this time, almost completely able to follow his movements this time as he passed by the Hulk and over to Kitty. Almost.

"Where is your boyfriend?" Caliwone asked her, startling her with his sudden appearance.

"Russia," Kitty said, recovering her composure. "He was visiting his sister when the attacks started. We haven't been able to go get him."

"Hn," Caliwone said, noncommittally. "Would you come with me?"

She looked at him, completely at a loss for words for a moment. "Sure," she said. She stepped over to him and put her arms around his neck for grip and shuddered once, remembering his embrace from another lifetime.

Helena stepped forward. "Where are we headed?" she asked.

"Stay with the X-Men," Caliwone said. "You are needed there most. Protect them."

Helena furrowed her brow, understanding but not liking it. Of course, tactically it made sense. She was potentially the strongest being present other than Caliwone and possibly the Hulk and one of the most able fighters there. And with the added strength given her through the Mangetsuken...

Caliwone reached a hand around Kitty and pulled her close, lifting her off the ground and into the sky. Helena watched them, feeling a deep unease settle into the pit of her stomach. Somehow she knew that something terrible was going to happen.

"I understand," Superman said. "We will be there." He signed off and turned back to what remained of the League, including the part timer, Static. The young hero floated nervously on a trash can lid sized disk, his electric discharge sparking gently around him, the color of his purple and black outfit matching its arcs, only a shade or two off.

Even the recently disbanded Teen Titans has made it, Nightwing standing tall next to Batman, Starfire close beside. Raven, now wearing all white, stood next to Cyborg and Beast Buy.

"That was Mr. Terrific," Superman said. "Obviously, he has been able to restore our communications. According to Helena Noventa, the mutants are gathering on Genoshia where they believe the asteroid is heading to wipe out the last of the mutant threat."

"Of course, we will be joining them," Batman said. "Caliwone was right when he told Helena that this will be the final stand."

"Let's get moving," Superman said.

Magneto stood atop his castle on Genoshia, gazing emotionlessly up at the approaching asteroid, still hundreds of miles away but closing rapidly. The force of its passage starting up winds around the island and blowing his cape about. Beside him, his son and daughter stood silently on either side of him and a step back, Pietro fidgeting with constant movement common to speedsters. Wanda took after her father and was as solid as a statue, the hair she had spent so long growing out whipping around her scarlet outfit almost as much as her father's cape.

"It seems that I was correct after all," Magneto said, his voice echoing ominously through his helmet. "They are intending to end the war once and for all, taking out the majority of the mutant populous all in the same blow."

"So that's why you refused to join the X-Men's fight earlier?" Wanda asked, turning to look over at him. "You saw this happening?"

"Time is the way to be sure about an unknown opponent," Magneto said. "A lesson hard learned a long time ago with Apocalypse. We were not ready to face these invaders. Now we are."

"Every mutant still alive and not with the X-Men are here," Pietro said, looking down over the cliff at the main city below the overhanging cliff in which the castle had been built. "Even Mystique is here."

"Charles and his mutants will be here shortly, I am sure," Magneto said. "By now Charles has figured out where this asteroid must be going. If not him, then that Captain America or one of them has. This is where the final stand will be. There is no doubt."

"Pietro," Wanda said, looking over at her brother. "Ready the first wave and make sure they are prepared to go."

"Look, Wanda," Pietro said crossly. "I don't take orders from you."

"Do as your sister says," Magneto said darkly without looking at his son.

Pietro scowled darkly at his father and sister but did as he was told. Vanishing in a streak and a cloud of dirt, he sped off down the cliff and to the mutants who waited.

"Here they come, now," Magneto said, his head turning just slightly to look at the approaching X-Jet and rebuilt Velocity heading their way. He lifted a hand and stretched outward with his significant powers of magnetism and took control of the jet, guiding it to the castle and landing it neatly on a flattened space. The Velocity, made entirely without metal, followed on its own accord, landing beside it.

"What is that?" Wanda asked, her eyes narrowing as the jet shook to its side, nearly unbalancing the jet on its wheels as the X-Men hurried out.

"Magnus," Charles greeted, rolling as quickly as he could to his old friend and enemy.

"Welcome, Charles, to Genoshia," Magneto greeted back but his eyes stayed locked onto the jet as is shook once more. "May I ask what present you have brought us that seems rather desperate to escape?"

"Hulk and Juggernaut," Charles said. "I thought I would be able to suppress them long enough to get here. I was just barely successful."

"Let us move them somewhere more suiting," Magneto said and lifted his hands. Like a giant metal creature, the X-Jet warped just enough to spit the two unstoppable forces out onto the ground. With a motion from his hands like wading up a piece of paper, two large sections of the metal castle separated themselves and wrapped themselves completely around them and they sunk through the castle roof and put of sight.

"Now then," Magneto said, turning back to face Charles. "We have made preparations for the coming battle already. Pietro has just gone to make sure the final arrangements are in place."

"Can I ask what it is you are planning?" Charles asked as Captain America took a knee next to him, knowing Magneto's tendency for the reckless.

"You will see in a few moments, Charles," Magneto said. He lifted a hand just as a roar of engines sounded from high in the clouds and guided another two flying vehicles down, these unmistakably one of the Justice League's Javelin Mark 2 and the imposing shape of the new Batmobile.

Almost simultaneously, the hatches on both vehicles opened and deposited the remaining League members onto the castle roof next to the other heroes. Superman looked around, his eyes first sad then furious as he saw what remained of Earth Special Forces. His eyes met Charles' only to see the professor regarding him with the same expressions.

"I am glad you were able to make it," Magneto said, his eyes peering through the darkness his helmet afforded. "What's left of you, anyway."

Batman met his eyes with a severe glare. "Many of our comrades have died fighting these aliens while you stayed held up on your little island," he said darkly. "League members and every day heroes of the worlds military. So why don't you just focus on helping for once."

"Oh, we will," Magneto said. "Have no fear. The battle ends today and we, the mutants, will take our rightful place in the order."

Batman's eyes narrowed but Green Arrow beat him to it. "This isn't about politics or whatever," he shouted. "This is life or death."

Magneto smirked at him and the long haired blonde standing beside him. "Shall I explain the fortitude of strength it requires to battle through diversity? Shall I quote history to you and how many in the world gained power through chaos and disparity?"

"I don't think we have time," Batman said, his eyes directed upwards.

"Yes, indeed," Magneto said gravely and motioned up toward the asteroid. It was now only minutes away from being directly atop them and out of its many hatches, concealed from view, aliens poured out like a dark winged thunder cloud to descend upon them.

"Brothers," Magneto said grandly, knowing all on Genoshia could hear him. He had, after all, designed this metal city to do so. "The humans have fled from these invaders to hide in hopes of a miracle that will save all of their pathetic lives. We stand tall, the Homosuperiors, and will give that freedom to those cowards and we will take our rightful place as the dominant race."

Charles shook his head in sadness as a cheer went up from all the mutants down below, inspired by Magneto's words. Even in the midst of a disaster like this, Magneto was still preaching hatred. And he knew of course that there were not just mutants fighting in this war, Captain America, Helena, and most of what remained of the Justice League and the Teen Titans were here. Even Batman was here ready to fight. But he knew that would not be remembered.

Magneto lifted his hands as if trying to pick up something great. With a sound like thunder, the metal city in its entirety was pulled from the Earth, its peaks and spires pointing directly at the approaching aliens. Raising his hands above his head, the metal combined into one mass, and then Magneto threw his hands forward. Like a cannon ball, the mass of metal flew towards the aliens.

Charles watch in astonishment, never having seen Magnus show such a display of power before, not even when he'd pulled down satellites against Apocalypse. Just as the metal mass was about to crash into the alien swarm, it shattered, sending dagger like shards showering forward.

The first wave dropped like flies, spears of metal sticking out of most of them but for every one that fell, a dozen more took their place. The descended upon the mutants on the mainland with wild abandon, their stinger like tails lashing out, trying to skewer the mutants.

Magneto threw his hands sideways, and a portion of the castle on which he and the X-Men stood shattered and flew out to protect them but for many it was already too late.

Flashes of mutant powers struck out, catching one or two of the aliens, doing little more than damage them, a few punching with enough force to actually cripple or kill them.

Superman, J'onn Jon'zz, and Diana all stepped foward, moving to assist but Batman raised a hand and brought them to a halt. His eyes were narrowed in deep concentration as he watched the battle. "Stay back," Batman said, finally raising his eyes to his teammates.

"Are you crazy?" Superman cried, looking at his friend as if he had lost his mind. "I am not going to stand around while other people are dying. Not if I can help it."

"I agree," J'onn said, his deep Martian voice sounding surprised.

"You must really be getting old," Diana said crossly, even now still holding a grudge.

"Look at the battle," Batman said, ignoring the jabs. "There should be no way that these mutants can be killing these aliens."

Superman took another, closer look. Like always, Batman's powers of observation were unmatched and accurate.

"Your right," Superman said. "That first one we fought was almost unbearable for me, Helena, and Caliwone."

"So, you have figured it out," Magneto said, keeping one eye on the battle and the other on the League members. "Judging by the decidedly Doomsday like appearance of the first group and now the appearance with wings and stingers following that of several our mutants, I would have to guess some sort of genetic alteration is taking place and they become weaker every time."

"Agreed," Batman said. "Which means what-if they intend to take this island, then the stronger ones will be making an appearance." His eyes met Superman. "That is where your strength will be needed most."

An alarm went off somewhere inside the castle, barely audible on the roof and only through the hole gaping in the side of the castle. Magneto turned his attention northward even as the screams of mutants went up. "It appears that they have just crossed over the border into Genoshia."

The group turned, their eyes scanning the skies. "I don't see anything," Superman said, his eyes narrowed as his supervision was stretched out.

"They are under the water," Magneto said.

"We need to engage them as far out as possible," Diana said.

"You lead the front there," Captain America said, standing up and stepping forward. "Also, release the Hulk and Juggernaut. They will be of little effect against flying foes. I will join the battle here in the city." Without waiting for a response, Capt ran forward and took the most direct route to the battle, over the cliff.

Logan was quick to start forward but was forced to a halt as Magneto raised a hand and took hold of his Adamantium skeleton. "You and your abilities would be better employed at the front with Superman. Your healing abilities and claws would be best suited there. The rest of you will he needed in the city." Rogue and Kurt exchanged looks with the professor and then followed orders, led by the Man of Steel.

"Excuse me, sir," Jarvis said, ever so polite.

"What is it, Jarvis?" Tony asked, pleased as to how well his new improvements to his suit helped to keep the rushing sounds of wind out of his helmet. He was such genius.

"Sir, I have been continuing to run a diagnostic on a sample of Captain America's cells and blood as you requested."

"I thought I told you to close that project," Tony said with a slight twist to his stomach.

"It must have slipped your mind, sir," Jarvis said with that irritating undertone of patience. "The technique you used in reviving Captain America appears to have been highly effective. He appears to be stronger than ever before."

"Good to know," Tony said. "What's your point?"

"The effects of your treatment appear to be only temporary. The samples are beginning to deteriorate quicker than before," Jarvis said.

Inside his helmet, Tony closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I know, Jarvis."

"I do not understand, sir," Jarvis said.

"It's simple, Jarvis," Tony answered with a sigh. "Captain America is more than just a fighter. He is a symbol and a bridge between the humans and mutant; trusted and respected by both parties and he is a natural born leader. To a large degree, he is responsible for the optimism that still runs through the resistance."

"How long have you known that Captain America's illness still remained?"

"I knew going in," Tony said. "Right now we need that leader more than we need us another fighter. I am sure Capt already knows. He probably has already noticed the effects returning; lack of energy, pain."

"Is there nothing you can do for him?" Jarvis asked.

"I've done everything I can already," Tony said. "Let's just hope it is enough to help us win this war."

To be continued...

It is the final battle between the Earth and the Alien Invaders in an epic Clash of Titans. How will everyone survive and what advantage will Helena have with the Mangetsuken? And what of Caliwone? Does he have some sort of secret weapon?

Thanks Kobez2.0 for everything (Hope you feel better)

Rialga (Fan of Many Works)! Glad to see you. Thanks for all of your reviews!

Only three more chapters before the final Dragon Sagas Book closes. Be ready for the intense battles and one dramatic finale.


	28. Chapter 23: Into The Inferno

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, TeenTitans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 23: Into the Inferno******

Helena stood at the northern edge of Genoshia, ignoring the flying aliens that darted about attacking the mutants. They were mere byproducts of the real threat. She grimaced as she looked up at the asteroid. For now, that root cause was beyond her reach and power.

At her side, she could feel the Mangetsuken pulse once. She looked down and drew the sword. It transformed as it was drawn as did she to herself, letting her red hair turn gold and her green eyes sharpen to a cold blue. As she did so, she could feel the blade in her hand speak to her. Not in any discernable language but it made itself clear none the less.

As it did so, the first wave of the Doomsday aliens emerged from under the water, walking up to land as if they needed no air in which to breathe. Helena held her ground, refusing to give in even as she remembered the first encounter with these invaders. Twice she had been on the brink of death in that fight with Superman and Caliwone fighting alongside her. Now here she was, ready to face an army of several thousand by herself.

They stood to face her, unafraid, confident in their abilities and strengths and the immunity that seemed to spread through them all every time an energy attack was used on even one of them. But that was old news. Now the choice was simple; either fight and die or fight well enough to survive. She had been trained by one of the best and now she was going to prove that she was one to be reckoned with. She lifted her sword just as behind her several people landed on the ground.

"Helena," Superman said stepping to her side and keeping one eye on the approaching army.

"Stay back," Helena said, her eyes cold as she watched the army. "I can no longer afford to hold back."

Superman froze at the cold tone of her voice, almost as if Caliwone's Saiyan blood was out in force. "Are you alright?"

"I said stay back," Helena said fiercely, her eyes flashing. "I will make the first strike to diminish their forces."

"Sure," Superman said, quietly taking a step back and motioning for the others to do the same.

The Mangetsuken pulsed in her hand once more as the army grew close, now merely a half football field away. Raising the sword above her head, she brought it crashing down to the ground.

"Shingetsu Sutoraiki!"

As if an enormous weight hit the ground instead of the sharp blade of the sword, the ground split and black night erupted through the ground like waves, reaching out as the ground exploded underneath the aliens. Helena gritted her teeth, never realizing that night could be so bright. Through her connection with Mangetsuken, she could feel the aliens dying until their immunity kicked in.

They burst through the darkness in a rage and beneath them, the ground trembled in fear. Behind the heroes, the Hulk leaped high overhead and crashed into the front wave of aliens. Superman was close behind, smashing into the thickest group.

With a roar of their own, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Kyle Rayner, Dr. Fate, the Android, Red Tornado, Star, S.T.R.I.P.E.S., Logan, Juggernaut, Nightwing, Cyborg, Starfire, and the rest of the sea front heroes charged into battle. Out in the sea, a great tidal wave rose and fell to leave hundreds of sea dwelling creatures rise and strike from behind the wave of aliens. An enormous Kraken bellowed horribly, reaching its mass of tentacles to grab and throw them while in a more personal approach, a great school of sharks rushed in, Great Whites, Hammerheads, and Tiger Sharks, biting and tearing at them with Aqua Man directing their assault.

From the sky, Starfire rained down bolt after bolt of emerald energy, doing little more than distracting the invaders. But a distraction was all Superman, the Hulk, or Juggernaut needed. They fought with ferocity previously unknown to them, directed in part by Xavier's influence and they tore holes in the army but it would not be enough. For every one alien killed or taken out of the battle, twelve more took their place and these aliens did not die as easily as the Prey Birds did. Even Logan and his adamantium claws seemed to faring little better than Starfire or Nightwing against these monoliths.

Helena hung back just long enough to gauge the battle and find where her strength would be most useful, then plunged into the fray. Mangetsuken slashed again and again, cutting clean through armor and muscle and alien bone, striking at the blind spots on its neck, splashing green blood in all directions.

She ducked several blows from as many different aliens, only her Super Saiyan abilities and reactions keeping her head solidly on her shoulders before slashing out, dismembering an arm and leg before spinning around and cleaving its head. For her, this was a dance; a deadly dance to be sure but Slade had taught her to handle all manner of weapons. The Mangetsuken might be an unusually powerful sword, but it was still a sword.

The blade whirled and cut, flowing in a dance of blade and blood as she moved through the battle, avoiding allies and killing enemies. But even that could not last forever. Even as the Mangetsuken bit into the flesh of another alien, a strong, thick arm wrapped itself her throat from behind. She choked, completely unable to breath. She brought the blade up, trying to drive it into the arm and cause enough pain that it would release her but the alien hung on. With a howl of victory, she could feel it lean back just slightly, raising its head to take hers off.

With a force like a cannon, Superman's heat vision scorched into the aliens back as he and another alien were locked in a death grip with each other. The alien jerked forward but continued to try and take her head when Logan leapt toward them. The claws on his right hand flashed, swiping a deep gash across the face of the aliens left side. Before Logan could even land, an enormous green bulk bull rushed the alien into the ground, releasing Helena from its grip.

"Hulk, SMASH!" With two downward swings of its own massive fists, the Hulk ended the alien and leaped away to engage another alien close by.

Helena rolled and scrambled to her feet just in time to avoid several more fists and stomping feet and nearly trip over the motionless armored body of S.T.R.I.P.E.S., a gaping hole torn right through the middle and red blood seeping through the seals.

She had no time to morn, even as Star's screams of anguish turned into a screech of pain as one or another of the aliens struck her down, she was dodging another round of assaults. The blade whirled once again, shining moonlight blue as it cut into alien's yards away.

"Damn it," Helena snarled as one blow broke through her defenses and left a bloody gash across her face. Her blade swept up, missing her target as her vision blurred. In a flash of movement, the Flash darted in, spinning himself into a whirlwind and tossing the nearest aliens into the for Aqua Man's creatures to battle them.

"You alright?" Wally asked sharply.

"Worry about yourself," Helena shouted, swinging her blade down with a crash and firing the Shingetsu Sutoraiki once more, blasting a pair of rushing aliens back, even if the attack itself was ineffectual, knowing Flash was fast enough to dodge the attack. Flash skidded to a stop next to her and pulling her to her feet by her armpits.

Helena fell into the Flash, off balance and blushed despite the warzone. Something about that Flash outfit, even if this Flash was not Barry Allen, the previous Flash that seemed to tugged at her emotions. She pushed him away as hard as she pushed her emotions aside. Now was not the time for such idle thoughts. Even as she raised the Mangetsuken again, a green shield dropped down over them.

Kyle Rayner seemed to struggle against the barrage of fists before one alien leapt high up behind Kyle. He turned to look, his eyes behind his black mask widening before another bolt of green smashed it into the ground. Floating down from the sky was the majority of the Green Lantern Corp., rings alight and raining devastation in varying degrees of creativity around the battlefield.

Smiling tightly, Helena raised her Mangetsuken once more and swung it down.

The first roar from the sea front was echoed by the inner islanders as Magneto's mutants renewed their assaults, this time with Captain America leading their charge. The X-Men all leaped forward, sliding, jumping, or climbing down the high cliff to join the battle. Raven and Beast Boy took to the air, Beast Boy transforming into a pterodactyl and following Raven as several other mutants took flight under varying powers.

Magneto watched after them, his eyes on a much larger price. His eyes narrowed even as Wanda shifted uncomfortably next to him, his guardian. He was Magneto, the master of magnetism and no matter what tricks these aliens hid, he knew the metal that inhabited this asteroid was metal none the less.

He raised his hands and took in a long breath.

"Magnus," Charles said sharply.

"What is it, Charles?" Magneto asked irritated, glancing over his shoulder.

"Do not be foolish," Charles said. "You of all people should know the risks of overreaching your powers."

"If course I know the risks," Magneto said derisively. "And do you know of the risks if I do not destroy the asteroid?"

Charles lowered his eyes. "I do," he said. "I beg you, please wait."

After a moment, Magneto lowered his arms, succeeding to his old friend for now. His eyes traveled instead to the battle raging beneath his castle. Only once had he ever seen anything as terrible as what was playing out before him now. It had been a long time ago, back when he had been a boy in Germany.

Captain America had been there as he was now, fighting diligently and bravely but not even he, the leader of a hundred armies, could stop this onslaught. Even as Magneto watched, Cap paused in his battle, clutching his chest and struggling to stay on his feet. His shield ricocheted off of several Prey Birds and zoomed back to him. He recovered just in time to catch the shield and return to battle but Magneto had seen all he needed to in order to understand.

Cap threw himself sideways and raised his shield, dodging and then deflecting several stinger strikes as he rolled. One stinger stuck itself onto the ground and Capt pounced on it, using his shield to cut the wings off of its back and reached up to snap its neck.

Beside him, Scott Summers fired blast after blast at the Prey Birds. Even though his optic blasts did not do direct damage any more, the force of the impact into another solid object was still enough to split them in two.

"If I understand this right," Cap said through gritted teeth. "These things become immune to your attacks after one attack, right?"

"You got it in one," Scott said, firing again.

"Then why can Caliwone and Helena in particular continue to attack them again and again if it is their energy that they are adapting to?"

"Good question," Scott said.

"It is because they are adapting to the attacks themselves," Cap said. "Scott, fire at me with everything you've got."

"Are you crazy?" Scott asked astounded.

"Trust me," Capt said. "Everybody get down!"

Scott gritted his teeth and removed his visor. Pure red energy burst forth, arcing over Captain America as he brought his shield up to protect himself. The energy bounced off of his vibranium shield and lances back outward like rays of sunshine. All of the heroes ducked in reflex as the light was directed upward and into the alien crowded sky, piercing through them like lasers. They fell in droves to land around, and in some cases on, the mutants and warriors.

"You got it?" Cap asked Scott as he replaced his visor with shaking hands. "Spread the word."

"Storm," Scott shouted even as Storm sent a gust of wind around her to deflect several attacks at once. "Storm," he shouted again.

She looked down at him and he touched his visor then pointed at her. She nodded understanding, and turned back to her own defense.

"Throw me," Scott said to Cap, knowing that his super soldier program would give him more than enough strength. Without a word, Cap took Scott by the arm, whirled him around, and threw him high into the air just above Storm.

In unison, Storm reached a hand up and caught a bolt of lightning in her hand and hurled it down just as Scott fired a blast down at the nearest alien. The optic beam joined with the lightning, striking the first alien then arcing to the next alien in line and then the next. The sky was lit brightly with red and yellow like a crazy lightning storm for a few moments before the rain of alien bodies fell to the ground.

A great cheer went up from the assembled mutants as they took note of the combination attacks' effectiveness and very soon hundreds of different combination attacks flashed out, each with varying degrees of effectiveness through the sky.

Cap grinned as he saw the enthusiasm from the mutants, then a sharp pain cut into his chest and side and he grabbed his chest and dropped to one knee. Out of nowhere, three Prey Birds dove down at him, their multi-jaw maw open and screaming. Cap lifted his shield defensively, unable to summon the strength to throw his shield.

With a roar of thrusters, Iron Man dropped out of the skies to land with a clang in front of Captain America. Cap looked up at him as best he could as from Iron Man's shoulders, a small cluster of micro missiles fired, angling up and detonating, clearing the skies above them for the time being as the battle raged around them with new fervor.

Iron Man turned and looked back at Cap, still on one knee and clutching his chest, this recent bout not yet having faded. Lifting one hand, Iron Man touched a button on the side of his helmet and the front of his face plate lifted.

"Stark?" Capt asked, somewhat surprised at seeing the rich genius inside the famed Iron Man suit.

"You seem to be doing well," Tony said with a somewhat crooked smile. "In the fight, I mean. You look terrible."

"I'm fine," Cap said, still not yet able to rise.

"Sure you are," Tony said wryly. "You might want to stand up, though, unless you want everyone to see your condition."

Cap grimaced. "So I take it that you haven't been able to find a permanent cure for me after all?"

"Not even close," Tony said with sad smile and extended a hand toward Captain America.

Cap took the offered hand gratefully and allowed Tony to pull him to his feet. "Let's still keep that fact to ourselves, then," Cap said.

"Sure," Tony said. "Let's focus on the immediate problem, though, huh?"

"Right," Cap said and lifted his shield again.

Tony nodded and flicked his face plate back down and his eyes glowed once more. He raised his hands as a group of Prey Birds finally noticed them and raced to the attack. In the palms of his gauntleted hands, his flight stabilizers glowed and fired with enough force to tear them in two. Capt's shield flew in right behind, smashing into several more before Stark raised his right arm and fired a missile that took out the rest.

Cap's shield returned to him just in time to block a stab in the back by another invader. Tony reached up and pulled another one out of the sky and beat it into submission. With a finishing blow from Cap, the alien lay still. The two exchanged one final glance, a final nod, and then split off to join the battles where they were needed most.

Charles Xavier smiled broadly even in the midst of this horrible situation. Never before had he ever seen his X-Men so united. Even as he watched, he could see combination attacks cutting deep into the onslaught from above but even that would not last forever.

"Magnus."

"I know, Charles," Magneto said. "Wanda, get down to the front."

She nodded. "What about you?"

"I will be joining you shortly," Magneto said. "I suggest you move the Velocity."

Charles nodded and rolled quickly over to the helicopter and started it even as beside him, the Javelin, Batmobile, and Blackbird lifted off under Magneto's power and landed on the ground not far away. Even as the Velocity lifted off, he could see Magneto turn his attention back to the battle. The castle rippled visibly as Magneto pulled and shaped it, warping the steel.

Charles hauled the Velocity away from battle to give Magneto time to do whatever it was he was planning to do before bringing the Velocity into battle. He watched his long time friend lift himself into the air and hurled the castle into the cloud of aliens. In mid flight, the castle stretched and thinned, catching a mass of aliens in its net and then, with a crushing motion from Magneto's hands, the net collapsed in on itself and crushed everything inside. With a final flare from the Velocity's rear jet exhaust, Charles flew into the battle.

Helena pressed her back into Wally's, breathing heavily as sweat and blood mingled and rolled down her forehead and between her eyes. Mangetsuken shook in her hand as her hands shook from fatigue, rattling slightly and dripping green blood from its tip. Not too far away, Superman, Batman, Diana, and J'onn Jon'zz continued to resist as the army continued to press forward, cutting off the view of the remaining League members; their battle cries barely audible over noises of battle.

"This isn't looking good," Flash said, shifting slightly against her back as the aliens circled them, obviously not too thrilled to get close to Helena and the Mangetsuken.

"Thank you, Flash," Helena said sarcastically. "Glad you're here to tell me these things."

"Someone has to keep up with the sarcasm," Flash said.

"No, Flash. They don't." Helena tossed her head, ridding herself of one sweaty strand of hair that had fallen over one eye. "Optimism maybe, but not sarcasm."

"Point," Flash conceded but he smiled none the less. "At least it's a conversation starter."

Helena shook her head. "There is something to be said for positive thinking, Flash. I can tell that you don't have much luck with women, do you?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Surviving," Helena answered bluntly, throwing him a quizzical look over her shoulder. "But you could ask me again when this is all over, maybe."

Flash turned a smile on her, knowing that the probability of them even surviving this fight, much less until tomorrow evening was extremely slim. He turned back to face the hoard surrounding them, resolved to at least take out more of them than Superman if at all possible. Something touched his thigh and ran upward to his back from behind and Wally jumped, completely caught off guard. He turned back to Helena to tell her to wait on such friskiness for a more appropriate time but Helena was being pushed the opposite way from him.

A tree or some kind of plant was growing up from the ground between them, sprouting dark leaves and more vines like the one that had rubbed up against Flash. At the top of this spiraling plant, four large purple and white leaves were unfolding, leaving the center stem and a large Venus Fly Trap looking head unveiled.

From above them, a silvery shadow dropped to the ground next to them, the creature's pure silver hair and silk outfit of the same shade marred only by the intense gold eyes of the fox Demon, Kurama, flowed gracefully into the fight. Even the ground beneath Yoko-Kurama seemed to lighten as if he produced a silvery glow from some inner strength.

"Remain motionless," Kurama said, his voice cold and emotionless as he stood and crossed his arms over his chest. "Unless, of course, you wish to be eaten by my Makai Ojigi Plant."

With a roar, the plants maw opened and the whole plant straightened. In the midst of the other two groups, similar plants sprouted and straightened. Another member of the former Team Urameshi dropped down and delivering the same warning.

The aliens, of course, did not receive such a warning. The moment they moved, the plants struck, spitting acidic venom into the massive hoard and whipping thick vines around and down onto the hoard. Kurama smiled slightly as his plants cut through the aliens, hearing the aliens' screams and delighting just a little in their deaths.

In Superman's group, Urameshi Yusuke barely restrained shaking his head in wonder at Kurama's oddly deadly collection of plants. This one in particular he had seen once before during a dark tournament of demons. Once more, Yusuke was glad that plants like these existed only in Demon World and not in the world of the living.

"I never knew such things were possible," Superman said in awe as he watched the plants strike ferociously against the invaders.

"Even after all of the things you have seen, you are amazed by plants?" Yusuke asked, amused.

"Never killer plants like this," Batman said.

"I don't ever want to see these again," Static shouted, cringing slightly as a vine crashed down near him.

Yusuke smirked, understanding completely. "Don't worry," he said. "These things won't be here for long. The aliens will get immune to them soon, right?"

"They already seem to be," Diana said, nodding fractionally toward the whipping vines that seemed to be doing little more than slapping at the broad chests of the aliens.

Without any warning, several aliens leaped into the air and pulled the plant down and yanked it clear out of the ground. Yusuke covered his face from the dirt that was kicked up as its roots flailed around.

"Get down," Kurama shouted sharply.

They all ducked just as several sets of roots burst from hundreds of the aliens chests, dripping them all to the ground with thuds that reverberated all the way to the cores of the heroes.

Karma's seeds of the Death Plant," Hiei said, a wicked smile on his face. "Planted into the chest of each of them by the vines of the Ojigi and grown through Kurama's energy."

Superman shook his head again. "Caliwone finds the most unique friends."

Yusuke grinned. "I get that all the time."

All around them, more aliens walked across their dead comrades, none even looking down or even caring. They were heartless monsters and nothing more and that was something they could all fight against without remorse. Tiredly, they all returned to battle.

Kitty Pryde looked up at Caliwone from his arms, deep uneasiness flooding through her stomach as they continued to fly in absolute silence. To her eyes, they seemed to have no specific destination but she guessed that had more to do with his inner turmoil than anything else. Before long, however, they came to a landing atop a cliff overhanging an immense forest, untainted by the devastation the aliens had brought, with the exception of a single scar in the landscape. Caliwone set her on her feet then walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the greenery. She opened her mouth to speak but Caliwone was faster.

"This is where I first arrived on this planet," he said softly. "It seemed so long ago, like another lifetime." His eyes turned from the crater in the ground from where his ship had crashed to the asteroid floating in the sky above Genoshia, just close enough to see the flicker of energy attacks lancing upward.

She gazed up at him, the uneasiness spreading from her stomach to freeze her lungs. Things never seemed to turn out well when someone took the time to reminisce in a crisis. She slid her hand into one of his and gripped it hard. He looked down at her, seeming to snap himself out of his revere.

"Cal, you're really starting to worry me here," she said. "You're not thinking about doing something reckless, are you?"

"Have you ever known me to do something unnecessary?" Caliwone snorted.

"Yes," Kitty said, pointedly looking back at the raging battle blazing far off into the distance.

Caliwone followed her gaze and seemed to sigh. He looked back down at her, seeming to take in every detail of her face. She gazed back at him, feeling some of her older feeling about him resurfacing. She leaned forward almost unconsciously.

"Let's go," Caliwone said. He pulled her close again and flew them both toward the battle and only in a matter of minutes, they were setting down again at the top of the cliff where Magneto's castle had once been. He released her and stepped over to the edge and looked out over the battle. These humans and mutants were putting up quite the fight, finding new and inventive ways to use their powers on the fly.

"Truly remarkable," Caliwone said, almost to himself. "But it is not enough." Caliwone motioned for Kitty to back away and removed the kimono and dropped it to the ground. Smoothly, his hair changed from black to gold and his aura glowing majestically and sparking blue lightning around him even as he went further, transforming into Super Saiyan 2. He lifted his right hand, his bandage glowing darkly. Caliwone looked over at them, reached his left hand up and hooked two fingers into the bandage as if to pull it apart but stopped. Now was not yet the time.

Lightning arced from his open right hand, crawling up his arm to his shoulder. He grimaced, the seal unsuccessful in completely performing its duties. Either way, it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Pushing forward with the attack, a ball of blue light formed in the palm of his hand, connected to the lightning arcing around his arm as if it was the source. He thrust it forward, the focus of his intent at the largest section of Prey Birds and the heart of the Doomsday aliens. Thousands of bolts of blue lightning flashed forward, so thick in number that they seemed as if one blast of energy, engulfed his targets, striking the ground just past the League members and Helena, instantly annihilating everything in its path to mere bits of atoms and nothing more. The air in which the attack had cut through sparked and fired lightning into the ground for several seconds afterward, catching several aliens in their path unintentionally as it did so.

From her position at the edge of the sea front battle, Helena stared back at Caliwone, her mouth open in disbelieving horror as the lightning subsided with one final crack of thunder. _Seventy five percent_ he had said of his power had been sealed within seal of his right arm. Was that a lie? A misleading statement?

She shivered straight down to her core, the blade of Mangetsuken dipping until it rested heavily on the ground. No, Caliwone had also been very proud of his strength and a proud warrior. He would never lower himself to deceit in such a way.

"Was that Caliwone?" Yusuke asked, sounding as thoroughly shaken as she was.

"Yes," Superman said, using his super vision to see the great distance.

Everything in the region remained motionless, none daring to move. Even the aliens, cold blooded and previously fearless with their certainty in their immunity technology stared at the Saiyan, standing like a God atop the cliff; mighty Zeus looking down his Mount Olympus.

He gazed across the battlefield for a few moments more then turned his attention upward to the great asteroid threatening the skies. As if his attention was the focus of all, everyone else looked up as well. In a swarm of motion, every Prey Bird still alive took flight and angled toward him.

Caliwone didn't move, watching them passively as they barred down on him. There a flash from the base of the cliff that cut a hole in the center of their attack, scattering them temporarily and forcing them to regroup. Caliwone looked down to see Iron Man standing next to Captain America, the glow from the center of his chest fading and returning to normal as he looked up. He lifted his right hand and gave Caliwone a two fingered salute.

Caliwone returned his gaze to the asteroid, searching for an opening or weak point in which he could break through and remove the strategic threat in this war. As if the universe was answering him, the asteroid released what must have been all of its reserve Prey Birds into the air.

That was it. The launch bays were its weak point.

As if he was thinking along the same lines, Magneto floated up, his hands held as if trying to pry open a gap above his head and immense strain on his face as he forced one of the hatches to remain open. Caliwone didn't need to see the look Magneto threw him over his shoulder to know what to do.

He turned away from Magneto for one last look at Kitty Pryde. "Wakare, watashi no harõ," he said and took to the air in a golden burst of light.

From the ground, Captain America hollered as loudly as he could. "CLEAR HIM A PATH!"

Instantly, every form of projectile attack cut through the air, turning the darkness caused by the asteroids bulk to light up with more majesty than the Northern Lights, cutting into the Prey Birds, knocking them aside if not causing any damage at the very least. Caliwone flew straight through rain storm, striking and killing the Prey Birds only when the mutants failed to cleanse the air in time.

"Damn it," Yusuke swore and turned to Hiei. "Do it, Hiei." In unison, Yusuke pointed his finger up at the asteroid ahead of Caliwone while Hiei held up his hand, holding black fire in his hand, the dragon tattoo along his arm writhing as if alive before he threw his right arm forward and a dragon of the darkest flames from the depths of Hell exploded outward just as Yusuke fired his Spirit Gun at full power.

The Dragon of the Darkness Flame and the Spirit Gun blew through the last line of Prey Birds just before Caliwone reached the hatch in the asteroid. With an explosion of force that bent in the hatch and killed the many tech support aliens just inside, Caliwone entered the asteroid.

Flames licked all around him as he knelt on the what solid flooring remained in the midst of burning debris, taking in the smell of the alien air, what sounds he could get through the noises of battle outside. He took in a breath, calming himself before he opened his eyes.

"Knock, knock."

To be continued...

With only two chapters left, Caliwone finally appears to have a plan on how to end this fight once and for all? Even now that he is on the asteroid, what surprises will they have in store for him and how will Caliwone make it back out in time?

And what of Captain America? Will he be alright or is this final end for the great hero? And of the Justice League? It seems they are losing members every chapter. Will anybody else be slain?

With only two chapters left, you cannot afford to miss a thing and see how the conclusion of the best Anime's and Cartoons of the generation plays out.

Please leave reviews. I very much like to hear what you all think.

Special thanks to Kobez2.0 as always. And to all fans and readers of my works.

The Dark Prince

p.s. Here is my shoutout to Void84 for a little FlashxHelena possibility. :)


	29. Chapter 24: Decisive Strike

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 24: Decisive Strike******

Caliwone ignored the flames that licked at him as he surveyed the damage his entrance had caused, obscured as his surroundings were by debris, fire and smoke. His ears were assaulted by a shrieking that it could only be the massive ships alarms, warning its citizens of his arrival. The floor rumbled as massive security doors slid into place to impede his progress to the nerve center of the alien ship.

Caliwone opened his eyes and stood in the destruction that he had blown through with the help of Magneto. He took in a breath, let it out, and breathed in deeply again, blocking out the irritating sirens. All around him in the small room on which he had found himself, the flames rose and settled in unison with his breathing as his golden aura merged with that of the raging inferno. He inhaled one final breath and the crimson Sphere of Destruction appeared in his hand and impacted the heavy blast doors. The resulting blast extinguished the flames and launched the debris out into the Earth's atmosphere to rain down on the battlefield below.

He stepped forward through the smoke and placed a hand on the still intact door, extending his senses to examine the surprisingly strong obstruction. There were no force fields or any type of supernatural barrier aiding the door, just an incredibly durable alien alloy, little more than scuffed from the attack. His right fist swung with all his might, normally a feat that would shatter mountains and shake the Earth. Here, it did little more than dent the metal.

Stepping back, Caliwone's lowered his arm, and powered up the Dragon Twister. It shuddered and flickered briefly before the attack kicked into life, the sealing bandages restricting his power a great deal, and struck the bulkhead. He pushed as hard as he could, the piercing powers of the attack sinking his hand and arm steadily through until he could feel cool air grace across his hand on the other side. With a final cyclonic whirl of energy, the bulkhead shredded itself into a hole just large enough for Caliwone to climb through. He looked to either side as made it through only to find no more than twenty feet in either direction a blast shield had been dropped into place and looking quite as thick as the bulkhead he had just cut through.

With a sigh, Caliwone called the Dragon Twister forth once again.

Kitty looked after Caliwone's glow as he forced his way into asteroid. She desperately wanted to go with him, to help him do whatever it was he was going to go do.

_'Wakare, watashi no harõ._' The last words he'd spoken before streaking off in a blaze of gold. What did they mean? She didn't recognize the language from any of those she was familiar with. Was it his own native language? She pondered this for the briefest moment before bringing herself back to the present. A battlefield was no place for daydreaming. There would be time for that if she survived the war.

With a screech and a thunderclap of dark wings, more Prey Birds reentered the fight, diving down at her, their stingers poised to strike. The first one struck, its stinger aimed at her back. She phased, letting the stinger pass harmlessly through her then grabbed it and sank the alien into the ground where it flailed with what remained above ground.

Before she could deal with anymore of the flying aliens, three attacks cut through the air, engulfing a mass of the aliens in the giant maws of a great blue and white dragon made of ice, and a giant snake with a skull for a head and dark red mane passed by over head.

Kitty watched them pass in awe as, from one end of the island, an enormous samurai rose and brought a massive sword down onto a large portion of the Doomsday aliens. On yet another side of the island, what looked to be a large swell of cherry blossom leaves swirled then engulfed more of the aliens.

By now, Kitty knew exactly what was going on. Ichigo and his Shinigami captains had made it into the battle. Somehow without any real explanation, Kitty could see both the captains and their attacks, each quite consistent with what Caliwone had described to her so long ago. The only conclusion that she could come to was that Fate had cast his spell onto the entire Earth Defense Forces.

The giant snake looked down at the Doomsday aliens and fired a blast from its mouth that blew the ground into rubble and incinerated the aliens on contact. The great ice dragon fired icicles down, this attack doing little against the Doomsday alien's thick skin but shredding through the Prey Birds before melting from existence.

Kitty slid down the cliff to where Captain America and Iron Man watched as in mid air, the Prey Birds were cut in half as if by some invisible blade.

"What's going on here?" Tony Stark asked, his sophisticated sensors picking up nothing other than the Prey Birds in the sky.

"It's alright," Kitty said, skidding to a stop. "They are allies."

"How can you be so sure?" Cap asked, turning his face to look at her.

"Because they are Shinigami." Kitty said.

Cap and Iron Man exchanged a look before looking back at Kitty. "If you say so," Tony said, lifting his face plate and planting his fists on his hips. "They won't turn against us, will they?"

"No," Kitty said, sounding more confident than she really felt. "They will only attack those aliens."

"Let's hope your right," Cap said, seeming to struggle to his feet and he rushed back into battle.

Helena covered her head, using Mangetsuken to block the largest bits of flying rock that gigantic snake had caused with its blast before blocking an alien fist and cutting it down. Flash sped around the battle, driving hard to toss the aliens in as many directions that he could, while Superman, J'onn, or the Green Lanterns helped to deliver the final blows.

"Shingetsu Sutoraiki!" Helena shouted and watched as the blast of energy dug through the ground and tossed the immune aliens away.

Beside her, Urameshi Yusuke did what he could to hold them off. Kuwabara and the rest of Ichigo's friends had joined the fight, more of an irritant in her opinion than anything else. However, even she had to admit that they needed all the help they could get.

She cut another alien down before finally having a chance to look up and see where those other attacks had come from and she could see twenty-four men and women flying through the air and swinging all manner of swords and weapons and she was instantly reminded of Ichigo. So, these were the Shinigami...

Behind her, the Hulk roared wildly, still locked in a bloody battle in the midst of a pile of dead aliens around him. Even the Juggernaut had racked up a graveyard of his own but the unstoppable Juggernaut, like the Hulk, was wearing out. Like the Hulk, and everyone else.

Batman lit his rockets and soared into the skies as he tried to escape the seemingly infinite number of aliens, the large red bat on his chest having been mostly ripped away to reveal the technology under the armor but not even he could escape as one arm reached out and yanked him back down to Earth. He managed to roll out of the way of an alien. Superman rushed in to help but got caught up by two other aliens. Diana dropped down, using her terrific strength to give Batman time to escape.

Reaching to his belt, he pulled out several batarangs and hurled them at the feet of the alien and a thick layer of smoke erupted to cloud the area. J'onn Jon'zz, transformed into a truly terrifying alien form, dove into the smoke and emerged the victor as the smoke faded.

On the other side of the battle, Logan continued to throw himself into the fight, dried blood caked to his otherwise unmarred body. His blades continued to flash and sing in the semi darkness. For a brief moment, Kurt teleported next to him and ported him away as an alien nearly fell on top of him.

"Thanks, kid," Logan shouted. "Where's stripes?"

"Where do you think?" Kurt shouted back. "She's in the thick of everything."

Logan spared a brief glance away to see Rogue indeed in full combat mode using her Ms. Marvel acquired abilities to their fullest effect. Scott was there, too, doing the best he could to fight. For the most part, he had exhausted his combination plan and they were now as helpless as they been immediately before hand. Even Magneto was showing the strain.

Logan growled deep in his throat and looked up at the asteroid. "Hurry up, kid," he said under his breath to Caliwone. "Whatever it is that you plan on doing, do it soon."

Deep in the maze of worlds that consisted of Other World, Goku and Vegeta remained silent, each resting a hand on the shoulders of King Kaio, lord of the northern galaxy and watched the battle unfold. For the first time in a long while, deep worry lines creased Goku's face and his fist clenched into a fist.

"I wish I could help," he said angrily as more League members fell to the onslaught. "I could help."

"Just remember one very important thing," King Kaio said. "You're dead and this time, you cannot cheat it." He snorted into his hand for a few moments, clearly unable to restrain himself even in these serious times until Vegeta's hand clenched hard on his shoulder and making him cry out in pain.

"Give him time," Vegeta said, the stress he was feeling evident in his voice. "Caliwone will come through."

Goku glanced over at him briefly then looked away again. "That reminds me," he said. "That attack he used on the aliens; the lightning one-"

"Yes, Kakorate," Vegeta said. "It is the technique we developed together."

"But I don't understand how it can be so powerful," Goku said. "I mean, if he had that kind of power, before-"

"He did not," Vegeta answered. "Nor does he now. That technique is a very dangerous one for him in more ways than one. You see, it pulls the energy from the particles in the air as well as drawing on his own life force to a small extent."

"How very foolish," King Kaio cut in disapprovingly. "That kind of attack is too dangerous for both him and the planet."

"I understand the risks, Kaio," Vegeta said angrily, clenching his fist on his shoulder and making King Kai howl in pain again. "More importantly, _he _understands the risks. That is why I sent him back down to the Soul Society for the seal. Since I did not have time to properly train him on how to control the attack, this was the only way for him to restrict it."

"And what happens when he removes the seal?" Goku asked.

"The attack by its nature was designed to produce more power than he could possibly generate on his own," Vegeta said through gritted teeth. "When the seal is removed and he uses the attack, the power will shred his body but the results, if used properly, will be more than sufficient to help end this war."

"What kind of power are we talking about?" Goku asked.

Vegeta gritted his teeth, thinking about the level of damage Caliwone would receive. "Strength surpassing that of Super Saiyan 4."

With yet another explosion of blue power, Caliwone blew through another blast shield; this time opening up into a large open space. He gave a sigh, having lost track at the number of blast shields he had been forced to cut through somewhere around the seven hundred range. This was getting tiring. No matter how many he broke through, there was always one more twenty feet away.

He straightened and looked around, noting that for the first time, there were actually sentient beings here. There were six of them, each and every one of them grown to make the Doomsday aliens seem small and pathetic in comparison. These ones stood nearly five feet taller and three feet wider with muscles more defined than even Caliwone's own. To Caliwone, they were rather reminiscent of body builders of days gone by compared to normal men.

"Terrific," Caliwone said, his inner Saiyan warming to the thought of a challenge. He lifted his arms, a sly smirk playing about his lips before his brain caught up with him.

_Time is short._

Caliwone's smirk turned to a grimace as Vegeta's cut through his thoughts. He was right. He had spent far too much time simply getting to this point while all of the mutants and Justice League members, his friends, were all below the asteroid; fighting and dying while they waited for him. He had no time to play around. Knowing that the aliens would be immune to his restricted White Lightning, lifting his left hand, he tore away the bandages around his right arm.

The bandages fell to the ground, each piece glowing slightly as the seal was broken. Caliwone flexed his arm, enjoying the freedom from the bandages and sparing little more than a glance down at his arm. Scars for a Saiyan were really no big deal; it was to be expected from a life of battle but these scars came from no enemy.

Over a dozen deep scars ran up the length of his arm, some reaching from wrist to elbow, some from forearm to shoulder. Each looked like jagged strikes of lightning, almost identical to the arcs of his White Lighting attack. Despite his dislike of those wretched seals, he had to admit that they did a good job restricting the true power of his White Lighting from doing more damage to his arm than it already had that first time in Spirit World. However, it didn't really matter.

The aliens lurched forward like thunderous mountains bearing down on him, a deep roar coming from their salivating mouths. Caliwone smirked as lightning arced around his right arm, this time the lightning actually cutting into his flesh but this small amount of pain was nothing to him. What was about to come next would far more so. He cupped the blue ball of energy in his fist and threw it forward just as the first of the aliens reached him. Lightning burst forward once again, the flash of lightning looking more like an entire thunderstorm all striking at once, his attack flashed out. Blood spewed from his arm, intermixing with the lightning and vaporizing instantly as old scars reopened and new ones etched themselves up his arm in the same lightning like pattern as the others.

The attacked flashed out, instantly annihilation even the brutes instantly on contact, pushing Caliwone back despite his training and long experience nearly back into the previous room. The asteroid's flooring tore themselves to ribbons under the enormous force, the walls nearly fifty feet away pulled themselves apart as at the head of the attack, it burst through the blast shield as if it were paper, blowing clean through the side of the asteroid and into space. The air thundered violently, shooting thick bolts of lightning in all directions.

The blast faded and Caliwone stumbled back, grabbing his right arm in pain as blood poured to pool at his feet. The pain was excruciating, teetering on the edge of even Caliwone's pain threshold. He dropped to one knee, gritting his teeth as he fought not to bellow in pain; he, as the greatest Saiyan Elite, would not succumb to such weakness.

A thunder of grossly oversized feet snapped his head up as out of the shroud of dust, fire, and debris, three of the behemoths charged at him, long trails of saliva trailing from their jaws. Caliwone snarled as he pulled himself together and moved. The first of them didn't even see him as he slid below it and kicked upward with all the strength his injured body could muster. The attack lifted the alien centimeters off the ground while the other two changed direction and angled in toward him. With his right arm currently in too much pain to use, he threw his body to the ground and focusing his energy to his feet, he spun himself on his back and to his feet again, forcing a blaze of yellow energy out from his feet with withering force that threw them all away from him and left deep scars across their broad chests.

Caliwone leaped forward toward the first one, spinning his body to drive the maximum force with his left elbow as he drove it into the face of the large alien. This one didn't even flinch as it took the blow head on, reaching out and punching Caliwone full in the face.

Caliwone slammed into the far wall almost before he realized he had been hit. The left side of his face flared with pain and he could feel blood flowing into his mouth. Another massive fist crushed into his side, the loud cracking sound of shattering ribs cutting through the air. Caliwone gritted his teeth and jerked his head to the side as another fist swung in, intending to crush his head into the bulkhead. With a violent explosion of energy, Caliwone blew the three aliens back just far enough to drop back down to the ground. In one swift motion, Caliwone swept the feet out from under the first alien and brought the heavy end of his left foot down hard in an ax-kick to the alien's neck. This attack proved as effective as the others. The alien snapped at Caliwone's foot with its jaws, forcing Caliwone to back toward the other two aliens.

_They are unimportant distractions._

Caliwone gritted his teeth but back flipped dutifully high over the head of the second alien, grabbing his ribs from pain in the process and landing directly behind the monolith. Without hesitation and with another grunt of pain, Caliwone ducked just in time to avoid a swing from the third alien, its massive fist and wrist brushing through Caliwone's golden hair as it passed.

Moving as swiftly as he could, injured as he was, Caliwone slid himself between the large legs of the alien as its other fist came down hard onto the asteroid floor. In front of him now was the gaping hole his White Lightning had created, standing nearly three stories high and several more below his level with a small pinprick of light at the far end that indicated the sky outside of the asteroid several miles away. Growling at himself, he threw himself down it in a blaze of gold and a trail of guilt and shame for leaving a battle in this way but he had a larger purpose right now. If the opportunity arose, he would deal with them then.

He broke his flight mid way down the hall, noting with only slight pride as he saw that the walls had all been melted together, forming a solid wall except in a few cases where the rooms beyond could be only partially seen. Behind him, he could hear the thunderous footsteps of the aliens pounding after him but they would never reach him in time. He gathered his bearings as best he could and focused to a point he figured must be the center of the asteroid.

Caliwone lifted his arm and for one final time, he allowed the lightning to engulf his arm, each arc cutting deep into his right arm. He bit back a yell as more of his blood escaped him and he fired the blast upward. The force of the blast recoiled hard down his already damaged arm and centered on how upper body, crushing his ribs further and nearly into fine powder. He cried out in pain as he could feel more than just bones beginning to disintegrate before he was thrown straight backwards and into the opposite wall. The blast trailed off as his consciousness faltered briefly but what he had set out to do had not yet been accomplished.

He forced himself to his feet as the aliens neared him and threw himself up into the hole. He crashed into the wall, unable to focus his powers long enough to make it to central core. His left hand reached out and caught hold of a small protrusion on the wall, his right hand hanging down by his side, small spasms of pain jolting through it occasionally as tears of pain leaked through his tightly shut eyes. Snarling at himself, he pulled himself up as far as he could then threw himself back into the air and burst upward as far as he could.

His aura broke again as he made for one of those spots that had not been melted together onto one floor and managed to grab the edge with his left hand and hauled himself onto the floor. He rolled onto his back and grabbed his ribs again as he breathed heavily.

After a few minutes, he pushed himself to his feet and looked around. Small aliens of what looked to be several different species watched him from around doorways. He could sense no hostile intent coming from them and ignored them completely as he looked around. This section of the asteroid appeared to be made of more sensitive equipment and stations that would be expected to be seen on a ships bridge. Caliwone walked further into the maze of corridors, beginning to understand the layout of this alien ship.

All around him, more of the blast shields dropped down into place as his presence on the bridge became apparent to whomever or whatever was monitoring him. There was a flick of sense, almost missed in the collage of pain fogging his mind. He hurried forward as quickly as he could and threw himself under the dropping door closest to the thing he sensed. He rolled himself to his feet, determined to keep his composure as he saw this through. Sitting in what looked to be the ships main control board was another alien, this one similar to a lack muscled and slimy version of the Doomsday aliens, its head twisted around to stare at him through dark wide eyes.

Caliwone smirked, knowing this was the source of all of Earth problems. Even if this alien was some lackey, this control room was definitely the real thing. But this was only part of it. Somewhere else on the ship was the cloning stations that allowed for the genetic manipulation, as well as any back up stations that held and reported attacks. In short, he knew this entire ship needed to be destroyed. Once that happened, the signals Batman had noted early on should disappear and all the attacks that are currently useless should once again become effective.

"What do we have here?" Caliwone asked, not really sure or caring whether or not the alien could understand him. He leaned heavily on the far wall, unable to even stand up straight on his own; blood loss and injury teetering on the edge of bringing the powerful Saiyan down to his knees. "I hope you and your pathetic invasion understand that you are all finished. You will all be defeated by my hand, and those of this planet." He raised his left hand up in a fist in front of him and his Super Saiyan 2 aura blazed around him, his aura larger and bolder than ever before, his blue lightning arcing like a private thunderstorm.

Caliwone laughed as his power shook the asteroid around him and the face of the alien took on what Caliwone could only be terror as his aura grew, swirling lazily around him. What little energy Caliwone had left in reserve went out of him and he did something he had never done before. He dug deep into his life force energy, far more potent than his normal energy but fatal to use in too much excess.

His body glowed brightly with gold, freezing Caliwone's grin before his energy exploded all around him, incinerating everything it touched instantly, including the alien at the control. Bulkheads and blast shielding vanished without so much as a tug as Caliwone's own view and perspective blurred into a sea of gold.

To him, he could feel every molecule that was reshaped into the very energy that fueled the attack, touching and joining with the energy of his soul in such a way that Caliwone had never experienced. He mentally cringed at the touch, still not fully caring for this planet as he had for his own home, but the people of Earth had proved their worth in his eyes. And therefore, they had earned his protection. On his soul, he could feel the breeze of cool air kissing the edge of his blast and knew that he was on the verge of success. With one final roar of pain and rage, Caliwone gave it his all.

From outside the asteroid, light pierced through the few holes in the asteroid, and the asteroid exploded into city sized fragments and fell out of the sky.

To be continued...

And with that awesome display of power, could Caliwone have sealed victory for his allies on the ground by destroying the asteroid which powers the aliens immunity or will his efforts all be in vain? Can Caliwone even survive this destructive display and return to Kitty, Superman, and the rest that are still alive to close this series?

Here we are at the eve of the last episode. Can you feel the excitement, the anticipation?

It sure has been a long road and I thank each and every one of you readers for putting Dragon Sagas on the map and look forward to a spectacular conclusion, date set for Friday.

Super special thanks to Kobez2.0 for the wonderful beta and helping me get my jumbled mess called a brain in something resembling an actual plan for this chapter.

I will see you all on Friday, as long as the chapter goes according to plan.

The Dark Prince


	30. Chapter 25: The Rising Sun

**ATTENTION:**

**DRAGON SAGAS IS GOING ANDROID!**

**For all of you Android smart phone users, Dragon Sagas the comic will be appearing in the Android marketplace soon. The first episode will be free with each subsequent being only .99 cents.**

**The app is still a work in progress but there will be bonus features including such as full biographies on our Heroes and Villains if I can manage it.**

**Be sure to support the project when it comes out!**

**I do not own Dragonball Z, Justice League, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Bleach, or Yu Yu Hakusho**

******Chapter 25: The Rising Sun******

High above to island of Genoshia, a halo of gold light burst forth before the asteroid erupted with fiery light and burst into fragments, raining debris on the battlefield below. The larger chunks, their speed deceptive by their massive size, fell to earth and crashed into the ocean on either side of the island battlefield.

From directly above, fragments of the asteroid crashed down, crushing combatants and sending spikes of Earth jutting up as they altered the landscape beneath their feet. The battle waned for several minutes as aliens and mutants alike were forced to flee or be crushed beneath the stone and steel rain. But in minutes the initial shock wore off and the battle was once again joined, with both sides taking losses and gaining small victories. Cracks spread throughout the island down to its foundation as the island continued to warp beneath their feet. Dust and dirt flew into the sky from the house sized and smaller meteors crashing to Earth, creating a haze so thick that hands could not be seen in front of the heroes' faces.

Charles Xavier cried out in fear as the shower of rock and steel rained down past him. Several fragments blew through the cockpit directly behind him, shooting through the Velocity like wet tissue paper before one struck the tail section of the craft. The Velocity spun in the air, out of control. Charles struggled hard to regain control of the craft but another fragment caught the main rotor.

The Velocity fell from the sky like a stone, trailing flames behind it as it disintegrated in the air around him. Helplessly, Charles watched as the ground grew ever nearer when, with a sudden jerk, the Velocity stopped in mid air. He looked around and caught only the briefest glimpse of a red cape fluttering up from underneath the belly of the craft and knew that he would be alright. Gently, Superman lowered the ship to the ground and tore open the side exit and pulled Xavier out.

"Are you alright?" the Man of Steel asked concernedly.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you," Xavier said, wiping a small cloth over his forehead. "Go, you are needed on the battlefield. I will be just fine." With a nod, Superman streaked off back into the thick of the battle.

Deep within Other World, Goku watched in horror, fist clenched and body tensed almost to bursting as he watched the battle and Caliwone's sacrifice through the link King Kaio was producing, completely unaware that King Kaio was now pinned painfully to the ground beneath his crushing grasp.

"What is he doing?" he shouted, his eyes wide in astonishment as more of the asteroid crashed down. "He'll never survive something like that, especially not as injured as he was!"

Vegeta closed his eyes, the action more symbolic than anything since the images of Earth were playing directly into his mind. Even still, he could sense the events transpiring more clearly than any image could translate. Within each person energy lay their emotion and he could feel Caliwone's clearly. Anger, pain, hatred, determination and resolve were clearly felt as his energy continued to expand. There was no regret or sadness anywhere to be felt.

_"The Saiyan race has had its run,"_ Caliwone had said as the healing Squad of the Soul Society had been wrapping his scarred right arm with the bandage seal. _"Frieza eliminated us. I was a fluke. Despite this, I hardly think that the universe was saddened by our death. We left a scar across the cosmos that can never be healed. But perhaps I can die a warrior's death that this planet, at least, will remember with pride."_

Vegeta had nodded understanding, having at one point sacrificed his own life for the sake of his loved ones. _"If that is what you choose to do, just know that I am proud of you, Caliwone..."_

"He is doing the only thing that he believes he has the right to do, Kakorate," Vegeta said sharply. "He is defending that planet as passionately as either you or I, and atoning for the sins of our race as a whole." Vegeta opened his eyes again. "That is what separates him from mere Saiyans."

Kitty stared up at the falling asteroid, a cold hand gripping her heart and squeezing. Tears spilled down her cheeks, her will to fight gone like dust in the winds, not even caring that there was a battle still raging around her. She knew inexplicably that Caliwone was gone, his life sacrificed in vain for a planet and a people he was not born to; as alien to humanity as the Doomsday and Prey Bird aliens fighting here now.

A memory flashed back to a forest to which she, Rayne, and Sam had been kidnapped to by the mastermind of so many plots against Caliwone. She remembered how Caliwone had arrived, filled with confidence and cold blooded fury that he, Slade, had dared to lay a finger on her. And then she had died, killed by Slade, sacrificed to an evil cause. Caliwone had fallen apart by that, like she was falling apart now.

She fell to her knees, ignoring to the point of idiocy the falling meteors and thick cloud of debris all around her. "It's over," she said, her tears falling to the ground in splotchy puddles. "There is no use. It's all over."

Something bumped into her from the side, nearly tipping her over. She turned and saw Captain America curled on the ground beside her, hands clutching his chest, a look of agony on his face as his body writhed and convulsed as best as she could see in the debris filled darkness.

"What- What do you mean *cough* mean there's no use?" He was breathless after his episode just a moment ago; his arm wavered beneath the weight of his shield as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He has just assured our victory."

Kitty put a hand on his shoulder, looking down at him blankly. "What do you mean?" she asked. "The aliens are still alive and still almost unbeatable." She ducked back suddenly as one alien loomed over them and threw a fist down at them. Captain America reacted instantly, swinging his shield around to slam into the aliens knees. Kitty was almost as fast, grabbing the extended arm and pulling, forcing the alien to fall forward. With vicious satisfaction, she used her touch on the aliens arm to phase it straight into the ground and out of sight.

"Are they?" Cap asked as if nothing had happened and motioned slightly off as the passage of the large portions of asteroid blew the debris away. Superman, out of reflex no doubt, fired his heat vision at one alien even as he battled a second. The alien dropped to the ground, two smoking holes bored deep into the aliens' chest even as it scrambled back up to its feet.

Superman stared at the alien, surprised at the sudden effectiveness of his previously useless attack. Even as he the aliens flung themselves at Superman. A small grin spread across his face as his eyes lit red again and searing heat lanced forth. It didn't take the others long to realize that their attacks were also fully effective once more.

"I don't understand," Kitty said but her words were cut off as Cap clutched at his chest again and gasped for air.

"Cap!" Kitty shouted. She couldn't see any wounds on him for her to attempt to treat. She sat there helpless for a few moments before behind her, Logan rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Go," he said, his voice filled with pain. "I will stay with him now."

Kitty opened her mouth to object, to tell him that her training could help him recover from whatever was ailing him but the sadness in his eyes shut it again. She moved away and allowed Logan to take her place on the ground and the last thing she saw before the shroud of battle blocked off her sight was the two men clasping hands and Logan's tears.

Batman threw himself into a back flip away from one of the aliens and threw a pair of batarangs at it, their razor edges cutting into the alien around the shoulders and blowing up in a spectacular display of fireworks to make any military grenade look like a wet firecracker. The alien roared, large chunks missing from its shoulders as it rushed forward. The Juggernaut bull-rushed the alien from the side.

Batman looked up at the fading light in the sky then back down at the collection of aliens. As he had thought, the nano-technology he had found in the blood of that first alien had indeed been the source of the Doomsday immunity. And with the destruction of the alien's main computer, the nano technology had been cut off from its information source with the result that they now left their hosts vulnerable. Not that they were exactly defenseless. They were still effectively hundreds of Doomsdays, with all the strength and durability implied.

From above them, a chunk of asteroid the size of a city block dropped out of the sky directly on top of them. Several people screamed as the chunk drew closer and the Green Lantern Corps barely had time to erect a shield to cover the island and its heroes even as they continued to fight before it crashed down, the weight and force driving nearly all of the Lanterns to their knees before the chunk broke in two and slid down the sides and into the ocean.

Helena came to a halt in her onslaught, a thin lipped grin spreading across her face. The Flash, now nearly inseparable from her, skidded to halt next to her. "Get everyone back," she told him, sending a confident smile at him. "Direct all of the aliens toward me."

Flash looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you sure?"

"Most definitely," she said and hefted the Mangetsuken. "Just get everyone out of the way." With a nod, the Flash was off in a blur of motion.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted the sword, the flat of the blade lying horizontal and near eye level with the blade pointing away. Almost casually, she dragged the finger tips of her left hand from the hilt to end of the blade, ignoring the green blood that was spattered across it. This was her signature move, an unbeatable technique in the ways of the sword that she had developed.

In a blur of motion nearly the speed of the Flash, she darted forward and stabbed the blade straight out and through the chest of the first alien then forcing the blade to cut its way free out its side before spinning and slicing her blade, letting the Tsuki o Sakugen flash out like a crescent moon of energy, cutting through the ranks. She ducked and slashed upward as another tried to end her life and turned and slammed the ground with her the heavy end of the Mangetsuken and let the wave of energy blow through the aliens.

It was a dance and true representation of the art form as she cut them down one after another, the Mangetsuken whistling as it sliced through the air and into the flesh. She raised it high above her head and spun the blade. It pulsed, giving her its final command and seemed to continue its spinning completely on its own, whirling like a helicopter rotor in the palm of her hand. Helena closed her fist on the hilt and stabbed the Earth.

"MANGETSU NO SUTORAIKI!" she shouted and the ground erupted in devilish blue/white energy all around her in a perfect circle, blasting up from underneath and killing everything around her.

Yusuke and Kurama watched in astonishment as the glow faded, leaving Helena exhausted on the ground as the army of aliens still surged forward. Yusuke lifted a finger and fired his Spirit Gun once more, blowing a hole through the aliens. "This is crazy," he said to the fox demon as they both rushed forward to drag Helena out of the way as best they could.

"Indeed," Kurama said even as his Rose Whip lashed out around his silvery form. "Caliwone's sacrifice helped us dramatically, but this is still our fight to lose."

"These humans may lose this fight," Hiei said, appearing out of nowhere next them, his Jagan eye blazing in the center of his forehead, "but those Shinigami Captains and that boy Ichigo will not."

Yusuke looked out over the confusion of battle and saw what Hiei meant. Ichigo was cutting through them with his Bankai Zanpakutou and his face covered by an evil looking mask even as the Shinigami Captains took a more concentrated approach, exterminating large sections of aliens at a time while being careful not to kill the other heroes around them.

Behind them, Kitty stumbled over; blood leaking down one cheek but otherwise looking fine.

"Hey there, Cat," Yusuke said. "Beautiful day, huh?"

She looked at him as if having trouble recognizing him for a second. "Oh, hey," she said distractedly.

Kurama took a step forward toward her. "What seems to be troubling you?" he asked. "Other than the normal fortunes of combat and war?"

"There is nothing normal about any of this," Kitty said coolly.

Hiei sneered slightly. "A common human perception."

"Cool it, Hiei," Yusuke admonished. Turning his attention back to Kitty, he asked gently, "You going to be ok?"

Kitty met his eyes. They were as cool and hardened as any experienced warrior he had ever met, even if sadness lived right behind. "What a stupid question," she said and turned her attention out over the battle field. "It will never be the same without him. _I_ will never be the same."

"Alright," Yusuke said.

"They are regrouping," Kurama said matter-of-factly and pointed with one long delicate finger to where the aliens appeared to be clustering, ready to drive an arrow head into the heroes instead of trying to handle them individually.

"What do you say we deliver to them a final punch?" Yusuke asked, a blue glow engulfing the index finger of his right hand.

"I agree," Hiei said, black lightning arcing around his right fist.

"On three," Kurama said, pulling several seeds from his silver hair. "One. Two. Three-"

He was cut off as beneath the aliens' feet, the ground turned abruptly red. Before the aliens even knew what was beneath them, fire exploded upward, annihilating the last major group of aliens in a single decisive blow before a figure sheathed in green rose out of the ashes.

"Who is that?" Helena asked, forcing herself up onto her feet and leaning heavily onto Mangetsuken.

From down in the center of the battlefield, Scott slowly walked forward as the light began to fade. "It can't be," he said before throwing himself forward, not caring about the dangers this woman was quite capable of producing. "_Jean?_"

Jean Grey-Summers slowly landed on the ground and looked at the man running toward her. For a moment, she didn't move. Then she ran to him and flung her arms around his shoulders as the two reunited on the battlefield.

"That was unexpected," Yusuke muttered under his breath.

"Is that not the woman that threw herself into the sun?" Hiei asked.

"Indeed," Kurama agreed. "I guess the name Phoenix really does apply to her. She rose from the ashes of death, a truly remarkable being."

Kitty slowly sat down on the ground and starred up at the sky, wishing desperately that some miracle would save Caliwone's life and trying to delude herself into thinking that if Jean could come back from the dead, that Caliwone could as well. She leaned back on the ground and continued to stare unblinkingly into the sky, her mind going back to the last words he had said to her.

Yusuke and Kurama exchanged looks with one another before Kitty suddenly turned her head to them. "Caliwone said something to me before he went into the asteroid," she said. "But it was in a different language. Maybe one of you might know what it means."

"We can give it a try," Kurama said.

"Not me," Yusuke said, turning to look behind him as Kuwabara ran over to them from a ways away. "Without this little gadget behind my ear reprogramming my brain, I wouldn't even understand what you are saying right now."

"He said something like 'Watare, watshi no haro'," Kitty said.

Kurama smiled sadly. "Was it perhaps 'Wakare, watashi no harõ'?"

"Yeah, that's it," Kitty said.

"It is Japanese," he said and rested a hand on her shoulder. "It translates into 'Farewell, my Halo'." Kitty's eyes shimmered slightly but she blinked back her tears. "He must really have cared for you," Kurama said.

"Yeah," she said and smiled. "I did, too."

The daytime sky was dark and gloomy, a perfect mirror to the mood that hung in hearts of the hundreds of people gathered for the final funeral for all of the heroes who had sacrificed their lives to protect the Earth and her people. Every member of what remained of the Justice League, the X-Men, Team Urameshi, and Ichigo's group as well as Iron Man, Bruce Banner, Amanda Waller, and Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. were present as Superman finished his speech and stepped back from the podium.

News camera crews hovered around like busy bees, seeming oddly inappropriate in the current climate of the funeral. It was understandable, Charles mused from his place nearest the stage and the monument made of a portion of the alien asteroid, carved and smoothed to a black sheen, that towered above them all with the names or alter egos engraved on it along with the approximate dates of deaths. What made this funeral even more special was that this was the first time in history where mutants, aliens, and humans were all to be laid to rest not only at the same time, but at the same cemetery. Hence the publicity.

Only two people were missing in the crowd. No one had really expected Batman to show up at an event like this, although the very famous Bruce Wayne of Gotham City had made it, and no one had seen Kitty since the final battle. Probably dealing with her own grief in a very private way. Not even Piotr had seen her since his return from Russia. Charles made a note that he would have to seek her out before that grief consumed her entirely.

On either side of the podium, in perfectly synchronization, over two hundred caskets were lowered into the ground and sealed, with Caliwone's gold and blue centered among them. A few rows back, a baby started crying. Looking back, Charles saw little Rex in the arms of Vixen who held him close as the caskets containing John and Shayera disappeared from sight.

The crowd stood and began to disperse, tears falling and prayers of gratitude to the heroes rose one final time before departing. From his seat, Bruce Wayne walked over to Caliwone's grave and bowed his head for a moment before moving on to exchange words with Superman. Green Arrow and Black Canary joined him, the latter hugging herself tightly as Arrow's arms held her close as she cried silently.

Beside him, Ororo stood and lifted a hand into the air and the clouds swirled lightly before starting a slight drizzle that nobody seemed to mind. Logan stood as well, pulling the brim of his cowboy style hat down further and flicking the toothpick he had been chewing on away before walking over to his motorcycle and driving off.

Charles bowed his head once more. For him and his X-Men, this was not the end. Nor was it the end of the Justice League. They would survive and rebuild and continue the quest. The sacrifices that had been made for the good of the Earth, friends who had lost their lives, wouldn't want it any other way. As someone had once said, the world will always need heroes.

Kitty Pryde sat crossed leg at the base of the cliff Caliwone had crashed landed near so many years ago before he had begun his terror of Earth. Even after all this time, the scar his ship had made remained quite prominent, although the undergrowth of trees and plants had done their best to cover it.

Beyond the ridge line of distant mountains and cliffs, the sun could be seen struggling to climb over them, casting deep shadows outward to blanket the site up to the cliff Kitty was sitting by. On the other side of the celestial range, the full moon was sinking slowly out of sight. Kitty watched, knowing how much attention it had always held for the Saiyan and for a wonder, did not feel the slightest urge to cry, nor laugh, nor scream in rage. She had no more to give.

She felt a pang of guilt cross briefly through her, knowing that Caliwone's burial was probably coming to a close, but knew that it was nothing more than ceremonial. Not a scrap had been found of him after his final explosive attack and so the government had not been able to bury any real part of him. To her, it was meaningless.

With a flash of light, the sun finally managed to break over the mountains, shrinking the shadows down until the tip of the landing crater was bathed in light. In the center of the crater, held down by a boulder she had found, was the kimono Caliwone had been wearing before his final end. She had searched for it for hours after the battle had been finished, finally locating it floating in the ocean from where it had been taken by the tidal waves the asteroids fall had created. Eventually, she knew, Earths natural shifts and plant-life would bury it forever, as fitting of a grave as she had ever seen.

Slowly, as if designed not to frighten her, light seemed grow in front of her eyes, blinding her until with a suddenness that nearly took her breath, a vision of a world very different from the one in which she lived, was displayed before her. Green grass and a perfectly blue sky gave her the sense of perfect calm and contentment. Somewhere in her mind, as if sharing emotions with some other being, she knew the place she was viewing was made closer to perfection than any world in living reality could imagine.

From either side of her point of view, two men walked past, both sporting tall black hair that reminded her strongly of Caliwone's. One wore and orange and blue gi, the other all blue with white gloves and boots exactly like her favorite Saiyan use to. They seemed expectant as they both gazed into the glare just beyond the very close horizon. She squinted slightly as a shape began to move, looking disproportioned through the backlit brightness before the figure materialized into something that she could identify.

Kitty felt tears roll down her face once more, surprising herself as Caliwone finished walking up to his fellow Saiyans. The man in orange gripped his hand tightly, a big smile on his face while the other hung back, his arms crossed and a proud grin on his face and Kitty knew without a doubt in her mind, that Caliwone was now a permanent resident of Other World; a place filled with heavens unique to each personalities.

The vision faded and Kitty wiped her face and stood up. Turning her back to the rising sun, she headed back to civilization.

"We got most of everything cleaned up," Amanda Waller told Batman as they both stood outside the remains to Gotham City. "Or at least every part that the government is willing to. The majority of the asteroid sank to the bottom of the ocean, no telling when we will ever get a chance to reverse engineer any of their technology."

"Perhaps it is for the best," Batman said. "For now, I think that the rebuilding of our own world must take priority over the potential to conquer new ones."

"Agreed," Amanda said. "I think I have been able to convince certain key people that the rebuilding of Gotham City and Metropolis are crucial to the United States' well being and construction should begin once you're Justice League and X-Men finish up the little clean-up effort to wipe the remaining aliens out."

Batman cocked an eye. "The clean up shouldn't take very long. The Atom and I have developed a way to track the nanites inside their blood through certain breakthroughs Wayne Enterprises was able to develop before the war started. With powers like Superman, Helena, and the Phoenix clearing them out, it should only be a matter of a few more weeks before Earth is cleansed again."

"That reminds me," Amanda said, her eye narrowing darkly. "The Phoenix."

"Don't worry," Batman said. "I have been in contact with Charles Xavier and he assures me that Jean Grey-Summers is perfectly in control of herself this time and has taken precautions to set mental barriers in her mind to keep her in check."

"Really," Amanda said. "Since when does Bruce Wayne ever trust others with something this important?"

Batman raised his eyes slightly. "Who says I do?" he asked and smiled slightly. "Trust me when I tell you that everything is under control."

Of course I trust you, Bruce," Amanda said, half turning away from Batman. "Besides, this world will always need a Batman." She turned back to him. "Speaking of which, once Gotham is rebuilt, will you be hanging up the cape for a while? Pardon the pun."

"No," Batman said. "I will continue fighting until the day I die or can no longer fight. The board of directors of Wayne Enterprises should do a well enough job of running the company and helping to bring Gotham back. Let the younger minds deal with that."

"You really must be getting old," Amanda said. "I remember a time not too long ago where you would rather break an ankle than let the younger business men and women run things. But then, what does that say about me?" she asked herself with a shrug. "We all gain wisdom as we age but there is still something to be said for the power of youth."

"Youth is wasted on the young," Batman agreed. "They will all replace us one day and therefore it is their responsibility to shape the world into their own image."

Amanda nodded solemnly, glancing out over the barren carnage that use to be downtown Gotham. "I guess we all do what we have to-" she glanced back at the place Batman had been but he was gone, as usual, without a trace. "Whether we like it or not," Amanda finished with only the slightest odd glint in her eye.

**E****pilogue**

**Three years later**

"Big news in the financial world today. Once again, billionaire Bruce Wayne has averted an attempt to take over of his company by Derek Powers of Powers Technology. Powers vowed he is not through yet and speculation has seen stock in both men's companies hit all time highs.

"Still no word from the kidnappers of deputon Bunny Vreeland following a ransom payment of five million dollars…"

In the abandoned hanger just outside the newly rebuilt Gotham City, five men sat or walked about the hanger, being careful to duck under the wings of the private jet that sat quietly in the center, its paint a dull, nondescript tan. A portable television was relaying the events of Gotham day, casting a flickering dance of light and colors around the otherwise darkened hanger. The only other light came from the high skylights as the full moon swept its soft touch through the glass.

"Hey kid, you're on T.V.," the young man lounging comfortably in a fold up picnic chair said, pointing at the portable television with his sandwich in his hand. The four men snickered cruelly as the young woman, gagged and tied to one of many thick struts that held the old hanger strong, turned her gaze away, listening to the television dejectedly. She was young, no older than twenty two with flowing red hair that fell easily over one eye and down the top of her blue sweater. She shifted slightly, trying to be sure that her white skirt kept from sneaking upwards, less give these men any other ideas.

Outside the run down hanger, a twig snapped, startling one guard out of a light dose. He ran into the open, his machine gun cocked and aiming in case the cops tried a rescue operation of the gold mine Bunny Vreeland had turned out to be. A footstep behind him turned the guard around and a vicious uppercut from a shadowed figure's left fist was the last thing he saw before darkness took him, the gun skittering silently through the long grass. Out of the shadows, a man stepped, a red bat emblazoned on his otherwise black suit.

Batman gave the criminal one last look to be sure he was down for the count before setting his sights on the roof of the hanger. With a muted whisper from his foot mounted thrusters, Batman soared above the hanger and glided silently over to the skylight. Landing without a sound, Batman peered down into the hanger and the unsuspecting men inside.

His first thought was of Bunny Vreeland and his eyes tracked around the room until he spotted her where she had been tied up. His eyes narrowed in personal anger at these men vowing that he would see justice done to these kidnappers. His eyes tracked back to the five men, one sitting on one of the long wings of the jet as he finished fueling it for departure, the other four grouped around the large case of money and the oil drums they were using as a makeshift table.

"It's all here," the largest of the men said, tossing in the last stack of bills and closing the briefcase. He paused just for a moment as he passed one of his conspirators holding a gun ready in one casual hand. "Get rid of her."

The man holding the gun smiled darkly as his friend continued on to board the jet and got up and walked over to Bunny. She looked up with terrified eyes as the man approached, pleading behind her gag for the man to spare her.

The pleas fell on deaf ears as the man smiled, lifting the gun and aiming it directly at her face. His finger tightened on the trigger but before he could pull it, a batarang whipped out from the man's right to strike the gun aside. Out of reflex, the man pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into the ground to the right of Bunny as the Dark Knight dropped to the floor, punching them man with all his might and sending him crashing into the oil barrels and the television.

All four of the other men turned at the sound and rushed back to fight, several pulling out guns, others crowbars and wrenches. To Batman, these were ordinary thugs and he spent little time dealing with them, sending them to the ground one by one. The first man to attack and summarily fall, picked himself back up, grabbing hold of his gun once more but Batman swung another of the kidnappers his way to crash into him, sending the gun spinning away and over to the stack of oil drums in the corner.

Batman grabbed the last of the goons by the shirt front, swinging him around to toss him high over the outstretched wing and crash into the man trying to escape with the cash. Money flew everywhere, peppering the dank dirty ground with green as the two men lay groaning among it.

Batman let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and turned toward Bunny. Mid turn he grabbed his chest as a shooting pain throbbed suddenly, nearly bringing him to his knees but he fought through it, making his unsteady way to Bunny and knelt down to untie her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, ignoring the pain in his chest the best he could, caring more for her safety than his own. In his long years as the Dark Protector, it had become second nature for him to put the safety of others in danger first.

For answer, Bunny's eyes widened as she looked past him, her eyes trying desperately to warn the grim guardian. Turning, Batman saw one of the kidnappers standing behind him and swinging a long wrench across at him. The thick tool connected solidly with his head, sending Batman sprawling to the floor several feet away. He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain that was racing across his head and ran toward his opponent but before he could reach him, another round of pain lanced across his chest. This time, he crumpled to the ground unable to fight it, moaning in pain as the heart attack crippled him.

The man stepped forward slowly, slapping the heavy end of the wrench in his right palm and smiled down at the Batman. "Ever since I was a kid, the big bad Batman has been making life hard for guys like me," he said and lifted the wrench high over his head and swung it down hard onto the helpless Batman.

He moaned, nearing the verge of unconsciousness before the man sent him rolling with a swift kick to the stomach. He came to a stop near the corner where the stacks of oil drums stood three tiers high. He had never felt such helplessness before, such age as entropy closed its claws ever tighter around him. He opened his eyes, fighting to come up with some way to defend not only himself, but to defend the justice he fought for.

Something glinted in the light that attracted his eyes immediately. The gun that he had knocked out of the earlier kidnappers hands was resting not a foot from his face. His heart plummeted as he knew what he had to do even as his mind screamed at him to not do it, his body moved seemingly of its own accord. As if from outside himself, he saw himself pick up the gun and point it directly at his assailant as he raised the wrench for another strike. The man froze, terrified as the Batman glared at him, almost daring him to attack as his teammates own gun was pointed at him.

"No, don't," the man said, dropping the wrench and taking a step back before bolting for the exit to the hanger. He didn't make it far before Gotham P.D. screeched from the surrounding area and placed the man under immediate arrest under gun point.

From the opposite end of the hanger, well out of sight of the police, Bruce Wayne, his hair now a nearly solid shock of grey and age lines streaking across his face, pulled off the mask to his Beyond suit, a trickle of blood running down his lip, and looked in horror at the gun still clutched in his hand. Dropping it to the ground, Bruce Wayne walked away from the scene like a wisp of smoke trailing from the muzzle of a revolver.

In the Bat cave, Bruce Wayne stood in front of the glass display that held the original cape and cowl of the Batman that had started small and later helped to form the legendary Justice League in, along with the suits of Tim Drake's Robin suit, Barbara Gordon's Batgirl suit, and Dick Grayson's Nightwing suit. He looked down at the mask of the Beyond suit held clutched in his hand. With a deep breath, Bruce placed the mask over the head of the manikin that stood in the last display with the rest of the suit already in place. He gazed at the suit for one last time, trying to separate himself from it but he had been Batman for so long, it was like sealing off such a large part of him that he felt he would never be whole again.

Setting his jaw, Bruce closed the glass case and walked up the steps that lead to the secret entrance in Wayne Manor. He turned back to look at his Bat cave and lifted a hand over the light switches. "Never again," he said with finality, more to himself than anything. He flicked off the bank of switches.

In the cave, the light that illuminated his state of the art crime computer winked out. His legendary Rogue's Gallery filled with all his triumphs as the Dark Defender faded into darkness. The last light to go out was the one above his suits, laying to the Batman persona, the last human of the original Justice League, to rest forever.

Of course, the Justice League would go on, what remained of it anyway. That tattered remains of the once powerful League reduced to a mere handful with the conclusion of the alien invasion. But it would never be the same. Once, Bruce had thought the world would always need a Batman. Such a foolish ideal of a self centered old man. No one ever needed to relive the life he had, what had made him Batman in the first place. Tonight was the last night Batman would ever be seen and the world would be a better place. At least, that is what he told himself.

Turning, Bruce Wayne walked up the steps to Wayne Manor, and never looked back.

**The End of Dragon Sagas****/Beginning of Batman Beyond**

What a crazy ending to this adventure! The League and the X-Men all have a lot of rebuilding to do. I have no doubts that they will succeed. I know that with so much going on I may have missed some people in the fight. Sorry. Even I started to lose track of them a little bit. Lol

I really hope you all liked the series. This story is my tribute to all of the greatest cartoons and anime's of my generation (or at least as many as I could reasonably fit into one story. Lol). Keep an eye on my profile page for updates on the Comic and other stories coming to fruition.

Thank you everybody that has reviewed and supported this story, and special thanks to Kobez2.0 and Miles333 for the beta reading throughout this project as well as to Riagla (Fan of Many Works), iammy22, Malix2, Mossfire, Ormus45, Jombra, Drake202, sliverspetz, Unleash the Shadow, BlueEyes444, Omega Shinobi, and T-H-E-W-R-I-T-E-R-190 who have supported me from the very beginning. (sorry if I missed anyone :P)

I hope to see you all again soon as I still have many projects planned out not related to Dragon Sagas and maybe one or two shorts that are ;P Who knows.

P.S. I have not forgotten about your suggestion that you left in that long Book Four review. ;) Its coming.

You guys are all rock stars!

The Dark Prince

*bows*


End file.
